Film
Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in Chicago, plus articles, trailers and more
- Home
- Box Office
- Listings
- Trailers
- Features
Bookmark this page- Edition:
Amreeka (2008)
Director: Cherien Dabis
Movie review
From Time Out London
Packing up your troubles and jetting off to pastures new has major drawbacks in this uneven comedy. Muna (Nisreen Faour) is a divorced, self-conscious Palestinian bank clerk who, alongside her moody teen son (Melkar Muallem), is given the official go-ahead to visit in-laws in Chicago. Debut director Cherien Dabis is far too blunt in addressing the angst of resettling: Muna’s son becomes the victim of racist bullying as if it was a rite of passage, while her misunderstanding of American customs too often comes across as idiocy. Yet the film is worth sticking with, as in the final act Dabis finds her feet by taking a few unexpected turns, overcoming her initial tonal uncertainty and allowing her actors room to manoeuvre. Faour charms as Muna, while there’s sturdy support from Hiam Abbass as her homesick sister and Alia Shawkat as her precocious niece. You’ll end up baffled that a film built on such shaky foundations can end up being so impossibly sweet.Author: David Jenkins
Time Out London Issue 2125: 11 – 17 May, 2011
Cast & crew
Director: Cherien Dabis
Cast: Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Alia Shawkat, Hiam Abbass
Duration: 96 mins
Features
Gray's anatomy
James Gray wants to push buttons—again.
The next big thing?
Gigantic Releasing tries to rethink indie distribution…without movie theaters.
Red Diva: Lyubov Orlova, First Lady of Soviet Cinema
So you think you can dance, comrade?
Puppet master
Coraline director Henry Selick takes stop-motion animation into 3-D.
Socratic method
Laurent Cantet's approach on the set matches the message of his film.
Wander woman
Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy puts a Bush-era spin on the road movie.
Oscars
Read our interviews with the nominees, our reviews of the nominated films and more.
What do you think?
Post your review now