Liev Schreiber's directorial debut is a whimsical, almost fantasy-like journey into the past. It's unique. Some would say odd. And some would say it's not even appropriate. Too soon, maybe? But it will never be "not too soon." It lives on and we deal with it the best way we know how. And how one person handles something like the Holocaust is not universally suitable for the masses. For a couple of hours, though, you can watch "Everything Is Illuminated" and see three interwoven stories that touch on the horrible events of the past. You will chuckle and maybe laugh out loud. But always, just as in life, the atrocities are going to be right there, just out of our sight in the darkness.

Absolutely beautiful and deep. Worth watching. Fun and moving at the same time.

Wryly funny and heart-wrenchingly sad. A truly beautiful film.

ONe of my favorite's movie so far

Absolutely a wonderful movie. Liev Schreiber wrote the screen play and Elijah Wood stars as a young Jewish man who goes to the Ukraine to find the woman who saved his grandfather's life during the second world war.

In Everything is Illuminated, Jonathan Safran Foer, the author of the source material novel, travels through the Ukraine to shed light on his family's history. Accompanied by an interpreter obsessed with American culture, a driver who believes he's blind, and an aggressive dog named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr., they embark on a journey that will prove to all parties that the past is part of the present and shapes the way we view both the world and ourselves. The film successfully merges gentle humor with devastating drama thanks to an insightful script by first-time director Liev Schreiber. Elijah Wood is excellent in the lead role, but the film is stolen by singer Eugene Hutz, who provides an inspired and hilarious performance as the interpreter.

This is far and away one of the best and most underrated films ever. How Eugene Hütz is not a 온라인카지노추천 or movie star by now is beyond comprehension, he was incredible as Alex. I can only guess he chose not to pursue acting and simply went back to music. It's funny, heart-warming and heart breaking. Beautifully written and acted, it's something you truly have to see and experience.

The material is dense but not at all rewording to get through.

A reflection on the value of memory, of how much it should affect our life, a dramatic but often comic film in a well-developed combination

At first hilariously funny, the illumination that comes from the past is heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time.

This is a densely populated movie for the little grey cells and healthy range of feelings. Everything is illuminated about a person who has lived life of trauma and then was able to untangle it on a journey that illuminated and freed him. It's a real persons life packed into a cinematic time frame. The characters are honest, unique and refreshing. It's about a journey to illumination and connection. It is more than it appears. Even the dog evolved to become loving.

Awful adaptation of the novel. Completely loses the profound, riveting, and unique effects created by the book's concurrent storylines.

Quirky and thought provoking. If you can stick with it in, you'll find its persistent eccentricity worth the time.

I'm surprised that the Tomatometer isn't higher for this film, and seriously wonder if I've missed something given the significantly higher Audience Score.

"Laughter thru tears is my favorite emotion" Unlike Steel Magnolias, Everything is Illuminated only a mild to mostly moderate tear jerker. But if you were crying and then suddenly laughing when Claire suddenly urged M'Lynn to slap Shirley MacLane then Everything is Illuminated might be the kind of movie that will go on your list of favorites. In the beginning the movie feels a little absurd, two very different people start the search for an unknown person in a place that doesn't exist anymore. Wood and Hutz play characters whose contrast in culture and personality is a riot and I was enjoying the film before their adventure really started. The Steele Magnolias quote came to mind because this movie is a comedy as well as a drama rooted in the holocaust. Conflicts and frustrations are tempered with just enough comedy that showed different sides to the characters, and I think prepared them and us for the climax. I noticed that a lot of the critics who gave this movie a 'rotten' mostly compared it to the book it is based upon. I like this movie so much I should read the book, and because I saw the movie first I will probably like both.

This movie is thoughtful, in depth, and beautiful. The dynamics of the characters are wide ranging with Alex providing the most humor. This is my favorite movie. The story is beautiful and well directed and acted.

Absolutely fantastic and worth watching. A story of strange minds with a simple story of searching for your roots. A couple of underlying plots from Jewish history but the film focus is on the journey, not the Nazi mistakes of the past.

Smart & modern story-telling of a journey back into history. Watch this

Plot was draggy but the Gogol Bordello guy (and the dog) stole the show.

Actually helps to illuminate the somewhat confusing plot in the book. The dog is wonderful!