In America

Rating:
Summary: Be Prepared to Laugh & Cry, Sometimes at the Same Time
Review: An Irish family comes to America after a tragic event. In the center of Hell's Kitchen they try to come to terms with their grief and maintain the strength of their family. They move into what is know as the "junkie house". Told from the perspective of the eldest daughter, Christy, who records their lives via camcorder.

"Mom" (Sarah Sheridan) played by Samantha Morton (most recently seen in Minority Report) is a teacher in her homeland but has to work as a waitress. "Da" played by Paddy Considine is Johnny Sheridan a struggling actor and taxi driver. The charming children are played by Emma and Sarah Bolger. Little Sarah Bolger is a scene stealer that could melt the most frigid of hearts.

Mateo is the tortured artist/neighbour who is first befriended by the children then the parents. He gives them a new perspective on life and living. Mateo is played by Djimon Hounsou the "Not yet" actor from Gladiator. Djimon is thrilling and captivating as he is in all his movies.

This story is beautifully written, casted and filmed. It was written and directed by Jim Sheridan and is pseudo-autobiographical. Sheridan is know for his writing and direction of In the Name of the Father and My Left Foot. He wrote In America with his daughters Naomi and Kirsten.

The movie's characters are transformed by many human emotions: love, friendship, grief, forgiveness, rediscovery, mutual respect, and laughter. Be prepared to laugh and cry sometimes both at the same time but at the end your heart will feel fuller.

Rating:
Summary: it carrys it
Review: Truely masterly full of heart. Speaking the arty sense of 'reality', so it's not, but the movie just carry it enough to make it interesting but not over used. I couldnt help myself cry out loud "such a foolish irish" when that Irish guy spend his whole family's next month rent, about $500-$600 to bet on a $10 E.T. doll for his lil daughter. Very very surreal but then that's what movie's about, the stupidest thing done in the perfectest moment creates the most remarkable memory. It works, my heart pounds on whetehr is he gonna win that stupid doll or not.
The older daughter's songs works miracuously too once she sings. Anyway, if you are looking for a heart warming movie this is the one, look no further.

Rating:
Summary: My all-time favorite movie
Review: I am baffled by some of the negative reviews of this movie and agree with those who have praised it. One negative review mentioned a line from one of the little girls near the end of the move as being a clunker. This line is delivered at a particularly tense moment as the family ponders a blood transfusion for their gravely ill newborn. The line is one of the most memorable film moments I have ever seen. It releases tension, reveals something the little girl has been holding inside for the whole movie and is one more example of the pitch-perfect nature of the film. Everything rings true emotionally. The script deals with powerful emotions, yet manages to be subtle in the details. I have seen this movie in the theater and on DVD. I watched the deleted scenes and I can see why they were deleted. Sheridan has always chosen the more subtle path.

I have never seen a better performance by child actors. There is a scene where the younger girl is flouncing around with a styrofoam cup on a stick in Central Park. She is pretending to be the Statue of Liberty. She is spouting a stream words about America and freedom. It is a small moment in the film but perfect. This was not in the script, the cameras just happened to catch her waiting to shoot a scene...being a little girl. The rest of the movie seems to be just that way--catching people being themselves.

One can't help believing them. I don't like manipulative tear-jerking movies that just press your buttons. I love movies where people triumph over the things that life can throw your way. Having said that, I couldn't talk for about 15 minutes after walking out of the theater. My wife asked if I liked it and I could only nod and mumble. If feeling something scares you don't see this movie. If being touched by someone's story matters to you, own this movie!

I plan on watching this one regularly. I saw things in it the second time around that I didn't see the first.

Rating:
Summary: I admired it more than I liked it
Review: A couple of young parents bring their two daughters with them to America partially as a way to escape the death of a loved one. Surviving in New York City proves to be a challenge, as sweltering heat and dead-end jobs seem to be the city's only consistencies. Displaying a strong family unit, however, the young parents try to turn NYC into the children's own giant playground (and show the magic that can be created by parents who care).

Gritty and sometimes hard to watch, this film does not romanticize the immigrant experience, laying America open to all just criticism. However, as an American, I felt proud that I finally saw a film made in the past twenty years that depicted America for what it is to the rest of the world, the land where dreams are born.

The acting is brilliant (the little girls are unbelievable), the photography makes viewers feel like they are sweating with the suffering residents of New York, and the writing is moving. While not a film that will stagger viewers with revelations and commentary, the depiction of this little family's new life In America will stay with most people forever.


Rating:
Summary: The Distant Closeness of a Painful Memory - Brilliant!!!
Review: In America opens with a short excerpt where Christy (Sarah Bolger) is quoting her late brother Frankie while the audience can see a short scene from a home video on a digital camcorder as her Irish family is leaving a painful past behind them as they venture to United States through Canada in a beat down car in the hope of a better life. The road leads them to the Big Apple where the father, Johnny (Paddy Considine), can pursue his dreams of becoming a successful actor on Broadway. However, things do not go as planned as the family members face poverty, a heat wave, and the mother, Sarah (Samantha Morton) cannot get a job as a teacher due to their illegal immigrant status. Instead, Sarah takes a job at an ice cream parlor in order for Johnny to get his acting career started, but it seems as if Johnny's artistic career never will materialize. All of this is in the perspective of the daughter Christy's eyes and the lens of her small digital camcorder.

Christy and Ariel, the two daughters, make the best of the situation as they live in a crack house with constant danger surrounding them. However, the danger never seems to bother the girls, which supports the notion of children's resilience to environment. On the other hand it is obvious that the children are affected by their atmosphere, for example, they are faced with a staring silence as they enter their rich Catholic school on Halloween with their home-made costumes. Nonetheless, the children want to go trick-or-treating, which can be difficult if one lives in a crack house. The two girls knock on every door in the apartment complex, but no one opens until they get to the door that has the words, Keep Away, painted in white. Christy and Ariel are aware that the man living behind the door has rightfully so acquired the nickname "the man who screams."

The man who screams, Mateo (Djimon Hounsou), is an anguished Nigerian painter that has locked himself away in order to deal with his pain and suffering in solitude. When Christy and Ariel knock on the door Mateo's screams turns into a feeble smile as the girls want to trick-or-treat him. The girls innocent trick-or-treating seems to open an internal door into Mateo's soul, which allows him to feel the warmth, kindness, and love. The girl's innocent kindness brings out kindness from Mateo and as a result Sarah invites him for a meal. This leads Mateo and the family together in reciprocal friendship where their true feelings will be shared, which will end in personal growth for each family member.

Jim Sheridan's story is based on a script that he and his sisters Naomi Sheridan and Kirsten Sheridan have written together in memory of their late brother who past away during childhood. It is evident that the death has affected the Sheridan's as they deliver a complex and emotional tale of closure. However, the Sheridan's do not focus on death, as they bring attention to life and its many difficulties. Jim Sheridan depicts these difficulties through several small subplots such as Johnny's struggle to get an air conditioner into the apartment, which demands a lot of physical strength, humility, and patience.

Jim Sheridan plays with spiritual values throughout the film through many different ways as he portrays life and death. One of the scenes that brings strong spiritual symbolism to the film is when Christy and Ariel dress up for Halloween. Ariel dresses as an angel, which symbolizes Christianity and a monotheistic religion, while Christy turns into a faun representing a pagan belief, which represents a polytheistic religion. The girls are not necessary pagans or Christians, but it becomes an analogy to how differently they deal with the death of their brother. This spiritual web covers In America from the beginning to the end, as the family never discusses what happened to Frankie, which leaves the family in some sort of emotional twilight as they go on with life.

In America tackles several issues in a sincere manner, which amplifies the cinematic experience. For example, the addition of the clips from the digital camcorder offer a genuine affection that enhances the emotional difficulties of the family. The closure of the film offers much contemplation in the backdrop of life and the continuum of life, which will bring the audience to tears.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: the Movie got heavy handed in spots,but I felt the vaule&Lessons being used in the film. the "Et" element was good.evrybody fit well within there roles.I just think the film tried to take on so much&left some spots,but it has sentiments that stay with you.

Rating:
Summary: Odd but interesting
Review: New York through the eyes of Irish imigrants. Very unusual. This is basically a hard luck story with a sort of keep your chin up attitude. The family comes to America after the death of a child. The only place they can find to leave is an apartment where crack addicts hang out. The two daughters played by real life sisters (Sarah and Emma Bolger) give good performances. The younger of the two is liable to be a fantastic actress if she keeps up with the acting business.

Amoungst the other characters is one that they call the screaming man. When the sisters go trick or treating, they bang on everyone's door but no one will open up. Then they bang on the screaming man's door. At first you fear for them as their strange neighbor, played by Djimon Housau, lets them enter his strange abode. He screams because of his rage. He is dying from aids but when he meets the two little girls you can see that he is harmless and loves the lifeforce that they exude.

Later on in the film, the mom gives birth to another child but the baby is not expected to live. Somehow the neighbor's death and the baby's birth become entertwined but I won't give it away here.

At times the hard luck issues of the family beome tiresome but this movie is still worth viewing. It's a lovely tale and would be a great flick to put on when there's absolutely nothing on all of the 6 million channels on cable.

There is very little violence, mild sexual situations and references to drug usage. I suggest a viewing age of at least 13.

Rating:
Summary: Loving ... "In America"
Review: Movie: ***** DVD Transfer: ***** DVD Extras: *****

A sensitive script, intelligent direction, and phenomenal performances are the highlights of "In America". The story centers around an Irish family - weighed down by unresolved tragedy - who illegally immigrates to America with very little going for them except their hopes for a better future. They settle into a decrepit building in the brutal Hell's Kitchen area of New York City where their lives become entwined with one of their neighbors, a dying artist who has already discovered within himself some of the healing they are seeking in their own lives.

Such material might easily become maudlin in the wrong hands, but co-writer and director Jim Sheridan (who based the story on incidents from his own life) keeps a tight and tasteful rein on the tale as it unfolds, never letting it drift into inappropriate sentimentality. Proof of his skill is to be found in the Original Ending, which is included among the selection of deleted scenes. The original ending was marred by a certain lack of emotional restraint; the revised scene is much more reserved, more in keeping with the mood of the film as a whole ... and infinitely more satisfying.

Sheridan's achievements with the pen and behind the camera are enhanced by a quintet of remarkable performances. Oscar nominees Samantha Morton and Djimon Hounsou are flawless in bringing to life the characters of the mother and the ailing neighbor ... but in truth, Paddy Considine as the father and real-life sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger are just as perfect in their respective roles as the father and the two young daughters. "In America" is truly an ensemble acting piece, and Sheridan's casting director could not have done a better job. This an unusually honest, provocative and touching film that deserves the widest possible audience. "In America" is a true winner.