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Everything Is Illuminated
Everything Is Illuminated
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Everything Is Illuminated

Everything Is Illuminated

2005
Comedy, Drama
1h 46m
Based on the critically-acclaimed novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is Illuminated tells the story of a young man's quest to find the woman who saved his grandfather in a small Ukrainian town that was wiped off the map by the Nazi invasion. (Warner Independent Pictures)

Directed by:

Liev Schreiber

Screenwriter:

Liev Schreiber, Jonathan Safran Foer

Starring:

Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz, Boris Leskin, Laryssa Lauret, Jonathan Safran Foer, Zuzana Hodkova, Stephen Samudovsky

Genres:

Comedy, Drama, Adventure

Country:

USA

Languages:

English, Russian, Ukrainian
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Everything Is Illuminated

2005
Comedy, Drama
1h 46m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 55.56% from 2176 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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psixaospsiXaos
Rated 21 Feb 2008
75
70th
Not bad for a first movie from a new director. I like the direction Elijah Wood seems to take with his characters. But the star of this film was Eugene Hutz. His scenes always put a big smile on my face. I had no idea the frontman of Gogol Bordello could really act. Bordello's music is as always magnificient. Although the story is somewhat feels weak, this film definitely has its own spirit and serene look out on the world.
Rated 21 Feb 2008
doctor7doctor7
Rated 14 Aug 2007
77
66th
Originally I found the soundtrack annoying but it actually started to grow on me and it worked quite well for the film. I felt that some of the plot felt a little bit forced, this was confirmed by a friend who read the book and stated that certain elements were changed or dropped entirely, but none of it was bad enough to make me not enjoy the movie. The real treasure here were the visuals. The film has some absolutely beautiful shots.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
glumpy99glumpy_99
Rated 21 Jan 2021
72
43rd
A strange, messy, oddball presentation of disparate moods and story elements - I'm not entirely convinced that it "works" in any meaningful way, with the slapdash, clumsy culture-clash humour at the start not really preparing for the dark (and admittedly devastating) turn the story takes in the final act. Having not read the novel, if this represents anything like a literal adaptation, props to Schreiber for taking it on, and thinking it was filmable. Still fascinating and worth a rewatch.
Rated 21 Jan 2021
joelwatchesmoviesjoelwatchesmovies
Rated 16 Apr 2016
7
63rd
Delicate and unhurried direction (lots of long takes and pretty silence) works well with the initial road trip fare (Wood's pensive "collector" employs with apprehension the guiding services of misguidedly enthusiastic Alex and his grumpy grandfather) as lots of culture-clash comedy (see the hotel dinner) and lost-in-translation laughs ("seeing eye bitch") keep things lively, but as the humour fades in favour of sober historical probing it starts to feel a little dry (though no less beautiful).
Rated 16 Apr 2016
jswinderjswinder
Rated 30 Jan 2009
75
51st
Perhaps a touch too shifty for it's own good, yet the charm helps to ease the weight of the story's development.
Rated 30 Jan 2009
tathieltathiel
Rated 23 Sep 2008
86
88th
I don't know the book yet, so I can nothing say about the adaptation factor, but I liked the movie very much. Elijah Wood showed that he is more than Frodo. Great characters all in all.
Rated 23 Sep 2008
spookeyspookey
Rated 30 Aug 2008
84
80th
Silent but interesting tale of 2nd generation holocaust recollection. Charming atmosphere and surprising depth of character.
Rated 30 Aug 2008
tripwyreTripwyre
Rated 14 Mar 2008
79
75th
There are a few moments towards the beginning where the movie seems "a bit too out there", but it quickly finds its feet and truly soars. Hutz is hilarious as one of the best movie characters in recent years, and Liev Schreiber's direction is spot-on excellent. It strikes a fine balance between inspired hilarity and moving tragedy, like only the best do. An under-appreciated gem, and one of the most over-looked films of 2005. If you can find it, it's worth looking for.
Rated 14 Mar 2008
q31Q31
Rated 11 Mar 2008
86
32nd
Strange, but beautiful, and by turns funny or sad. The scenery and cinematography is lovely, though I don't know that I understand the ending.
Rated 11 Mar 2008
thmertensth_mertens
Rated 23 Oct 2007
69
48th
Everything is illuminated places it self in between a roadmovie and drama-comedy. Eugene Hutz gives premium first performance and Elijah Wood is able to keep a straight face all the way through. And the gypsie soundtrack is cool but not very well used: some scenes just needed a silence or a less funky vibe to give it the sentiment it needed. But this doesn't brake down the excellent story, which slowly reveals all its mysteries and the sometimes very artistic cinematography.
Rated 23 Oct 2007
citysqwirlcitysqwirl
Rated 14 Aug 2007
64
26th
Funny, interesting, and moving in spots, but ultimately the filmmakers make the mistake of confusing tedious with meaningful.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
idiot27000idiot27000
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
56th
A somewhat uneven film about a man searching for the secrets of his ancestry. Effective and powerful in parts.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
oplarsoplars
Rated 21 Oct 2022
90
91st
I don't understand this movie does not get higher ranked. A comedy that is also deep, it's well played by fantastic characters. I watched it because it takes place in Ukraine. It has a lot of soul. The music is beautiful too.
Rated 21 Oct 2022
moviecinemaMovieCinema
Rated 21 Oct 2021
73
79th
I simped for Eugene Hutz, I cried, I enjoyed the Gogol Bordello soundtrack, and then I cried a lot more
Rated 21 Oct 2021
bruhcringeBruhCringe
Rated 14 Jun 2021
74
54th
???????? - 3 ???????? - 3 ????? - 2 ?????????? - 3 ??????????? - 3 ?????????? ????? ???? - 3 ???? - 3 ????????? - 3 ?????? - 3 ????????? ???? - 3 ????????? - 3 ????????????? - 4 ?????? - 4 ???? - 3 ?????????? - 1 ?????? - 3 ???? - 3 ???????? ?????? - 4 ??????? - 4 ?????? - 67 ????? - 81
Rated 14 Jun 2021
gursuGursu
Rated 28 Aug 2017
8
76th
Very funny and moderately meaningful. Elijah Wood is great. Good writing.
Rated 28 Aug 2017
p_u_l_pP u l p
Rated 10 Sep 2015
65
62nd
"My grandfather informs me that is not possible."
Rated 10 Sep 2015
julie_rubioJulie Rubio
Rated 01 Aug 2014
95
78th
"First there was Yosef. He was a shoemaker. They held a gun to his daughter's head and commanded him to spit. He spit. They all spit, and tore, and kicked, and whatever else they were told to do... except my father. And then my sister. She was pregnant. They put the gun to her pregnant belly. They said they would kill the baby inside her if my father did not spit. He could not... He did not spit."
Rated 01 Aug 2014
mfurkanyasarMFurkanYasar
Rated 10 Feb 2014
87
80th
Just for the russian accent.
Rated 10 Feb 2014
meltemcilikmeltemcilik
Rated 19 Jan 2014
58
22nd
I watched this film before reading the book and watched it again. I realised then that this is a really bad adaptation! Like the beautiful story about the family. It's a shame actually, there was a potential for a great movie here. To bad Liev Schreiber fucked it up!
Rated 19 Jan 2014
ostroglyadovostroglyadov
Rated 08 Jan 2014
90
44th
Из плюсов - близкий мне дух собирательства и копания в прошлом. Минусы - режиссура и сm
Rated 08 Jan 2014
yugeshYugesh
Rated 23 Nov 2012
70
46th
watchable, couldn't really relate hence does not work as well for me. good soundtrack
Rated 23 Nov 2012
gokcanzgokcanz
Rated 26 Oct 2012
66
46th
* Casting, Acting : 7 * Script : 6 * Directing, Aura : 7 * Ease of Viewing : 6 * Naked Eye : 7
Rated 26 Oct 2012
neurophateneurophate
Rated 04 Sep 2012
56
24th
Good first part, then gets boring.
Rated 04 Sep 2012
kavuKavu
Rated 12 Jan 2012
78
63rd
Quite succesfully blends offbeat comedy and mellow drama. Schreiber shows promise behind the camera, but isn't quite there yet.
Rated 12 Jan 2012
slantmagSlantMag
Rated 17 Nov 2011
20
41st
"Most of Everything is Illuminated seems to have been dipped in a vat of second-hand Wes Anderson affectation." - Nick Schager
Rated 17 Nov 2011
mrmartinMrMartin
Rated 23 Sep 2011
95
90th
Eugene Hutz make the movie gold. Elijah Wood fails. Enjoy the story, love the visuals. Stories OK, but sound track is perfect.
Rated 23 Sep 2011
saskuaxesaskuaxe
Rated 12 Dec 2010
60
14th
borring
Rated 12 Dec 2010
rfdutrarfdutra
Rated 26 Nov 2010
9
87th
Great Job, Schreiber.
Rated 26 Nov 2010
tjekhovTjekhov
Rated 23 Oct 2010
30
17th
particular the last part of the film is awful..
Rated 23 Oct 2010
andreasthauAndreasThau
Rated 23 Oct 2010
30
12th
Kudos to Liev for trying to tell this story, which is admirable and important. The film shows glimps of the humor which the book is full of, but it's mostly due to dialogue copied directly to the film. Anyways, it annoys me to use an actor like Elijah Wood and not let him act at all. He is simply pronouncing lines. Bah. And what is this: a deep, serious story or a ... long, comic relief. Annoying music is on replay and completely undermines the shifting and drifting moods here.
Rated 23 Oct 2010
evolutionEvolution
Rated 02 Oct 2010
50
21st
Everything is terrible.
Rated 02 Oct 2010
darkmandarkman
Rated 30 Sep 2010
78
73rd
Very funny at the beginning and pretty serious at the end. The transition is successfull. Cool music.
Rated 30 Sep 2010
hellboy76hellboy76
Rated 25 Sep 2010
67
57th
Charming little film. Missing something from being a good movie, but worth the watch.
Rated 25 Sep 2010
paniskalpelpaniskalpel
Rated 29 May 2010
78
65th
Hey, Jonfen!
Rated 29 May 2010
crankycranky
Rated 28 Mar 2010
73
69th
Has some funny and moving moments. Good dialogues and nice pictures also.
Rated 28 Mar 2010
papershinobiPaperShinobi
Rated 15 Mar 2010
75
61st
far far different from the book and the book's story is far better. it can be a 100 if story was still original.
Rated 15 Mar 2010
blockrockerBlockrocker
Rated 09 Jan 2010
89
86th
unique movie
Rated 09 Jan 2010
dooooooleydooooooley
Rated 25 Nov 2009
81
41st
i can imagine this being a premium book, but I watched the movie first..
Rated 25 Nov 2009
nandorizzinandorizzi
Rated 03 Nov 2009
80
80th
A sad and touching movie, and even funny sometimes. It has outstanding (and complex) characters, great dialogues and technical part is awesome, photography and soundtrack are perfect, give the charm necessary for the story.
Rated 03 Nov 2009
lostpilotlostpilot
Rated 13 Jun 2009
35
49th
Surprisingly engaging, yet still lacks substance.
Rated 13 Jun 2009
jacoiiiJacoIII
Rated 20 Apr 2009
35
32nd
A nice little movie that has some remarkable sadness under the quirk.
Rated 20 Apr 2009
mottMott
Rated 14 Apr 2009
88
65th
Despite some of the flaws in first-time directing being noticeable at times, this film has a great mix of deadpan humor and authentic drama.
Rated 14 Apr 2009
rthornhillrthornhill
Rated 30 Mar 2009
94
89th
really well done and quite memorable.....strongly recommended!
Rated 30 Mar 2009
derbarneyDer_Barney
Rated 27 Feb 2009
72
20th
Nice movie but it's got nothing on the book.
Rated 27 Feb 2009
teftef
Rated 23 Jan 2009
75
35th
The suicide makes no sense.
Rated 23 Jan 2009
delirium9Delirium9
Rated 16 Dec 2008
90
67th
Took me completely by surprise, definitively not what I was expecting (I haven't read the book, and I like to see films/read books/etc. without knowing anything about them.) Oddly charming, charmingly odd, great soundtrack by my current favorite band, Gogol Bordello (I didn't even have any idea that GB's frontman had a role in the film!)... Oh and the bizarre cut scenes in the DVD make for a completely different, but funny film!
Rated 16 Dec 2008
evelin_debeiEvelin Debei
Rated 20 Oct 2008
55
33rd
I don't know...it seems empty to me. Or just like something very pretentious. It could be better.
Rated 20 Oct 2008
lynchmidgetLynchMidget
Rated 19 Jul 2008
60
39th
This was OK, but it seemed like it could have been so much better than it was.
Rated 19 Jul 2008
witchfinderWitchfinder
Rated 02 Jul 2008
90
70th
Brilliant.
Rated 02 Jul 2008
icromaholicxicromaholicx
Rated 22 Jun 2008
80
88th
Hialrious and touching.
Rated 22 Jun 2008
attached_eonAttached Eon
Rated 29 Apr 2008
79
80th
went oh so slowly but brought to a dramatic and beautiful conclusion. I really should read the book.
Rated 29 Apr 2008
jstryjstry
Rated 07 Feb 2008
97
99th
Heartbreaking and hilarious. Played very well by Elijah Wood. This one is quite unique.
Rated 07 Feb 2008
bkudriabkudria
Rated 17 Dec 2007
89
65th
A funny and touching film about a boy and his Ukrainian grandfather. Beautiful to look at, because it was filmed on location in Ukraine.
Rated 17 Dec 2007
paradiselostParadiselost
Rated 11 Dec 2007
83
86th
Very beautifull movie, I would recommend this to anyone. Read the book first if you can.
Rated 11 Dec 2007
dustydDustyd
Rated 15 Sep 2007
50
22nd
Well meaning but very uneven film.
Rated 15 Sep 2007
martrynmartryn
Rated 15 Aug 2007
77
69th
One of Elijah Woods best roles. And obviously I'm a huge fan of Eugene Hutz. Really a nice dramatic comedy.
Rated 15 Aug 2007
cellophanecellophane
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
77th
A sweet and slight movie, Everything is Illuminated, leaves you as a viewer illuminated - feeling lighter and more appreciative of life.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
catch23catch23
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
99th
Perfect.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
twist15twist15
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
87th
A very interesting movie...I'm not sure if I completely understood it but the undertaking was amazing. I liked it that the actors actually spoke in Ukranian instead of English. It was believable and enjoyable to watch.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
taleaTalea
Rated 14 Aug 2007
71
44th
Terrible adaptation, but as its own film, charmingly odd.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
skycaptainskycaptain
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
93rd
A touching, heartbreaking film.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
tollietollie
Rated 14 Aug 2007
78
59th
Quite a good, touching, and rather odd movie. Loved Elijah's performance.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
cranialbonerCranialBoner
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
60th
One of my favorite movies of the year. The first half is a very funny comedy with cultures clashing, the second a very poignant look at the holocaust and it's everlasting effects.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
ohcalhounohcalhoun
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
40th
i just saw this and it started out funny then just wasnt as funny and had one insanely dramatic part i related to then more drama but i wasnt feelin it.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
tikimantikiman
Rated 14 Aug 2007
81
63rd
I laughed, I cried, I danced along. Beautiful movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
vince_leoVince Leo
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
86th
Highly recommended for all that enjoy offbeat films fueled by intelligent dialogue and thoughtful reflections.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
brianduffBrianDuff
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
85th
A great, underlooked gem of a movie. One of 2005's absolute best.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
jokerxggJokerXgg
Rated 30 Jun 2007
70
82nd
The colors, the cool polish guy.. this movie was more than i had imagined. It was extremely funny and still had a bit of emotion in it. Good movie.
Rated 30 Jun 2007
zephonithZephonith
Rated 08 Jun 2007
85
90th
Quirky road movie with both comedy and drama elements, and an interesting take on the Holocaust. Very memorable characters, with a standout performance by Eugene Hutz who manages to make his character go beyond a Borat-like stereotype. Great music and beautifully shot.
Rated 08 Jun 2007
auritechauritech
Rated 16 May 2007
60
50th
Part goofy, saccharine road trip, part melancholy tale, it's a watchable but not enlightening story that maybe you've heard before. It's good for what it's worth but recycles things way too much, and the whole broken English comedy thing gets old quick.
Rated 16 May 2007
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 16 Feb 2007
75
89th
Great film.
Rated 16 Feb 2007

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