March 19th, 2007 by Brent
Every once in awhile, I stumble upon a film that I really wanted to see in theaters, never got around to, and then forget about it when I see the DVD in Blockbuster. So, last week I went to Blockbuster with the sole intention of getting one of those films, Everything Is Illuminated. And now, after watching it, I ask myself "How could I let this one slip by for so long?"
Everything Is Illuminated tells the story of a young Jewish American named Jonathan (Elijah Wood). An avid collector, Jonathan puts family heirlooms in small plastic bags as to never forget his heritage. One day, while looking through his collection, he stumbles upon a photograph of his grandfather and an unknown women. Curious as to their relationship, Jonathan travels to the Ukraine in search of her.
He enlisted the aid of the Odessa Heritage Tours, who consist of Alex, an english speaking, hip-hop lover and his "blind" grandfather. The three, along with the grandfathers dog, travel across Ukraine in search of the woman in the photograph and stumble upon many revelations along the way.
Like any road trip type movie, there are many humorous moments that occur throughout the journey. The conversations between Alex and Jonathan about various cultural differences are both entertaining and provide insight to both characters. However, we soon find that this journey is not only for Jonathan, but for Alex's grandfather as well and that it is not as cheerful as originally thought.
Everything Is Illuminated has been available to rent for a while now, but if you have overlooked it, I beg you to reconsider. It is a great story about friendship, love, war, and rediscovering the past.
| Quick Review | |
|---|---|
| Plot/Storyline A great story that is filled with laughter, sadness, and discovery. |
9 |
| Acting/Characters Elijah Wood plays the goggle-eyed Jonathan perfectly, but I think the real stand out is Eugene Hutz as the outgoing Alex. |
9 |
| Visuals/Sound Some great visuals throughout this journey. Just a beautiful film to look at. Great music as well. |
9.5 |
| Replay I liked it a lot and while it might not be a movie I would watch all the time, I would most certainly watch it again. |
8 |
| Overall Rating: | 9 |
| All scores are out of 10. Overall score is not an average. | |
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments will be moderated and obnoxious or inappropriate comments will be removed.
You are not logged in. Login to leave a comment.
Brent's Latest Reviews