Rating: 
Summary: Pleasantly surprised!!
Review: I picked this up on the recommendation of a friend. I really enjoyed it. I thought the presentation of the Hasidic community was well done and respectful...and added to the story. Even though the critics panned it, I thought Melanie was fine. A good Friday night stay-at-home-with-a-tub-of-buttered-popcorn movie.
Rating:
Summary: This is a "rainy-day" Sunday movie. I loved it!
Review: I pop in this movie frequently. There is something warm and inventive about this murder mystery/love story. Melanie Griffith is wonderful as the world-weary cop. Try this for a change of pace.
Rating: 
Summary: "What's New & Exciting?"
Review: Melanie Griffith is an underrated actress. She shows emotions well with her eyes & facial expressions. I give her credit for attempting a different kind of role in 1992. I imagine this was considered "career growth" in her opinion, knowing she could not play the ingenue, hooker, bimbo, Goth-girl forever. So I don't see her miscast as a cop at that point in her career. This film tries to be many things at once & has some loose ends. Initially, one would think this is a love story, but it really isn't. Emily (Griffith) & Ariel (Eric Thal) look at each other alot but there aren't many sparks flying. As a police drama it falls short there too, because we don't see Emily doing much investigating, just living among the Hasidic Jews & getting a feel & appreciation for their lifestyle. The depiction of the Hasidic Jews, shot in sepia tones, may be inaccurate at times but I feel it's the film's strongest point. The characters also tend to be too stereotyped. Emily's father appears to be an Irish alcoholic, the gangsters (James Gandolfini & Chris Latta) are Italian. Det. Levine (John Pankow)is an anti-semitic Jew calling the Hasidic Jews "an embarrassment" while showing ignorance of their customs, & the rebbe sounds like he's doing an impersonation of Jackie Mason. I also think the scene when Emily first arrives in their neighborhood while "Fiddler On The Roof" type music plays on the soundtrack is a bit over-the-top. She also seems in awe of the area which is farfetched since she's a New York cop who must have driven through it more than once. As for the loose ends, we never find out who helped the killer & assisted her to place the body where it was found, & was Emily really at the wedding or just "in spirit"? Also, when Emily realizes who the killer really is, it just seemed like an afterthought to the love story that never materialized. I still recommend this movie because it has Melanie Griffth & shows a culture that is not often depicted in films.
Rating:
Summary: Strangers!!!!!!
Review: My sister gave me this movie for my birthday. I liked it at first, maybe because I didnt understood the meaning of the movie, maybe I didnt understood the message. But after watching the movie again, I learn many things and Melanie Griffth was good, she could have been better, because I have seen her in other movies and she is an Inteligent Actress. And Eric Thal, I have never seen such an interesting actor. His emotions regarding His Besherta, was something I kept asking my self. What is that?, then Melanie (Emily) --> says at the end that she is waiting for her Beshert. WOW, I finaly understood that after all the crazy things she had done in her life, and in the crazy family she grew up in to, she finaly was not going to settle for less, she now wanted Her Beshert, Her Soulmate...!!! If you pass thru the movie, and understand the Message, then you will like it, maybe Love it. :-)
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting and surprisingly effective.
Review: My wife and I were pleasantly surprised. We heard it wasn't very good but as Melanie Griffith fans we decided to see for ourselves. We liked it quite a bit and can give it a 4-star recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Ignore the plot, watch for the details
Review: Ok, so I feel a little silly giving this movie four stars. Melanie Griffith portraying a hardened New York detective? Uh, no. The romance? Silly. The killer's identity? Not exactly a shocker. And yet I really enjoyed this movie because someone did their research. This is really a sensitive, non-prejudiced introduction to the world of Hasidim, a small, ultra-Orthodox segment of the Jewish population.The story revolves around a murder in the Hasidic community of jewelers in New York. Emily Eden (Griffith) is dispatched to investigate and ends up going undercover within the community. The film has wonderful details about Hasidic life and customs, the role of the Rebbe, the antagonism from the mainstream Jewish community, and addresses the unfortunate sheet rumor which I won't go into here. As I said, Griffith's miscasting makes Angie Dickinson's work on Police Woman appear the height of feminist role models. Mia Sara fares better as the daughter of the Rebbe (the leader and epicenter of Hasidic communities.) Also, fine work from Eric Thal as the Rebbe's son who is destined to become the next leader of the Hasidim. This film is both a guilty pleasure and a surprisingly informative introduction to a fascinating community. Come for the dreck, stay for the halachah.
Rating:
Summary: The real value is in the multi-cultural dialogues
Review: OK, so it's not the best film in terms of police procedurals -- if you are looking for a hard-core crime drama, this isn't it. This movie was a spin-off from "Witness," which took place in the Amish community, and, like "Witness," the real value of "Stranger" is in the multi-cultural details and dialogue. The murder mystery is just a formula plot for presenting an introduction to Hasidic culture. Viewed as such, the film can be a useful teaching tool, and that's why I've been recommending it on my website's Hasidism FAQ. I myself use it in social studies classes here in rural Minnesota, where most of the students have never met any Jews at all, let alone Hasidim. Now granted, there are some things in the film that are pure Hollywood, such as the little book referred to as "The Kabbalah" that reads like a sex manual. In real life, "kabbalah" is a collective term referring to Jewish mysticism. There is no one book called "The Kabbalah" any more than there is any one book called "The Zen." Although some kabbalstic texts do contain certain sexual imagery, the stuff that Ariel reads to Emily in the film is more like erotic love poetry. This serves a purpose in the story, but it's not Jewishly accurate, and for that, I'm docking it a star. On the other hand, the film does address some of the negative stereotypes about Hasidim, such as that ridiculous urban legend about the hole in the sheet. (NOT!) The real "kabbalah" of the film is in the message about finding one's soulmate. In the beginning of the film, Ariel reads a line from his kabbalah book: "God counts the tears of women." He has no idea what this means, it's just words. Later, at the end of the movie, Ariel's Hasidic bride-to-be quotes this same line back to him. She explains what it means, then says: "It's in the kabbalah." From this, we know that they are true soulmates, even though this is the first time they have met face-to-face. Emily (the detective) has also decided to wait for her true soulmate, which is what she tells Levine, who has been making passes at her throughout the film. But Emily has now grown in her understanding of relationships, and knows that fooling around with the Levines of the world is not love. There are some fine Hasidic scenes in the film, such as the Sabbath celebration, which shows both men's and a women's dance circles. Especially nice is the inclusion of a black couple at the Rebbe's table, presumably representing the Ethiopian Jews. The wedding scene is also well done. (Trivia: the music used for the wedding march is a Bobover Hasidic tune for "Lecha Dodi," the song which welcomes the Sabbath Bride of Friday night.) It is for these scenes that I find the film most useful in mlti-cultural education.
Rating:
Summary: The real value is in the multi-cultural dialogues
Review: OK, so it's not the best film in terms of police procedurals -- if you are looking for a hard-core crime drama, this isn't it. This movie was a spin-off from "Witness," which took place in the Amish community, and, like "Witness," the real value of "Stranger" is in the multi-cultural details and dialogue. The murder mystery is just a formula plot for presenting an introduction to Hasidic culture. Viewed as such, the film can be a useful teaching tool, and that's why I've been recommending it on my website's Hasidism FAQ. I myself use it in social studies classes here in rural Minnesota, where most of the students have never met any Jews at all, let alone Hasidim. Now granted, there are some things in the film that are pure Hollywood, such as the little book referred to as "The Kabbalah" that reads like a sex manual. In real life, "kabbalah" is a collective term referring to Jewish mysticism. There is no one book called "The Kabbalah" any more than there is any one book called "The Zen." Although some kabbalstic texts do contain certain sexual imagery, the stuff that Ariel reads to Emily in the film is more like erotic love poetry. This serves a purpose in the story, but it's not Jewishly accurate, and for that, I'm docking it a star. On the other hand, the film does address some of the negative stereotypes about Hasidim, such as that ridiculous urban legend about the hole in the sheet. (NOT!) The real "kabbalah" of the film is in the message about finding one's soulmate. In the beginning of the film, Ariel reads a line from his kabbalah book: "God counts the tears of women." He has no idea what this means, it's just words. Later, at the end of the movie, Ariel's Hasidic bride-to-be quotes this same line back to him. She explains what it means, then says: "It's in the kabbalah." From this, we know that they are true soulmates, even though this is the first time they have met face-to-face. Emily (the detective) has also decided to wait for her true soulmate, which is what she tells Levine, who has been making passes at her throughout the film. But Emily has now grown in her understanding of relationships, and knows that fooling around with the Levines of the world is not love. There are some fine Hasidic scenes in the film, such as the Sabbath celebration, which shows both men's and a women's dance circles. Especially nice is the inclusion of a black couple at the Rebbe's table, presumably representing the Ethiopian Jews. The wedding scene is also well done. (Trivia: the music used for the wedding march is a Bobover Hasidic tune for "Lecha Dodi," the song which welcomes the Sabbath Bride of Friday night.) It is for these scenes that I find the film most useful in mlti-cultural education.
Rating:
Summary: Lame
Review: Really, the only thing I enjoyed about Stanger Among Us was the slight study it did of Hasidism. So much of the plot was unreal and contrived that its pretty lame. Melanie Griffith turns in a poor job as the detective who falls for Ariel the main Hasid character. No Hasid would ever read to her out of the Kabala what the movie had him read to her in the back yard,it just would not happen, he would turned the page from that selection and chose something else. Can't really recommend this one.It has its good points, but the bad one's so detract from its worth.
Rating:
Summary: the only reason
Review: The only reason why I am giving this movie a 4 star rating instead of five is because it was slow at times. I thought the story line and acting was great. I don't know how accurate the actual depiction of the Orthodox Jewish community was, I don't really care, because in truth that's not the focus of the movie. They explore the ideals of the community and often times dwell on their depiction of it too much, but the focus of the story was two people who are from very different worlds and have to learn to cope with love and loss. Any one with a brain knows if you want to know the truth about a culture..go and experience it yourself..don't rely on a movie. So don't get bogged down in the specifics of this or that..just take it for what it is..entertainment. It will make ya cry though..so have some tissues near by. Really good movie.
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