Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Celebration

Play trailer Poster for The Celebration R 1998 1h 45m Drama Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
91% Tomatometer 47 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A dark secret mars a Dane's (Henning Moritzen) 60th birthday celebration, attended by his family (Ulrich Thomsen, Thomas Bo Larsen) and friends.
The Celebration

What to Know

Critics Consensus

As sharp and ruthless as the family dynamic that powers its plot, The Celebration blends tragedy and comedy to brilliant effect.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Caroline Rees Empire Magazine 09/22/2020
3/5
There's no denying that some of the Dogme strictures inject urgency and surprise into what could have been a tediously static affair. Go to Full Review
Paul Tatara CNN.com 09/22/2020
I'll be thinking about this movie for a long time to come. Go to Full Review
Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly 09/07/2011
A-
A funny, volatile, visually dynamic story about the unraveling of one extended family during the course of a patriarchal 60th-birthday dinner. Go to Full Review
Julian Singleton Cinapse Jul 12
Vinterberg’s dedication to the tenets of Dogma 95 creates an endlessly manic air to the party’s fraying niceties...until their secrets, anxieties, and wholly animalistic natural tendencies are all laid bare. Go to Full Review
Brian Susbielles InSession Film 02/22/2023
Vinterberg is able to work with the shocking claim and the farce of familial gatherings and personal faults in one of the more refreshing movies of the time. Go to Full Review
Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 02/12/2022
4/4
The Celebration transcends the movement, even while its narrative exists in symbolic, dramatic harmony with Dogme 95's attitude toward cinematic conventions. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
acsdoug D @acsdoug Nov 21 this movie took a turn into some unexpected territory. It's not your normal "dysfunctional family" movie, which is probably why I liked it. See more Roger H Nov 14 Pretty amazing movie! The Dogma 95 approach made everything feel alive and real, making me realize how much traditional mainstream films warp what you see into something that barely approaches what you experience in real life. See more Dennui S Sep 3 Dogma #1, my favorite. A son rips the band aid off on his family's abuse and trauma at a multi-day family reunion for his father's birthday. Excellent performances from some great Danish actors. See more Ava S Aug 12 The Celebration is a tough watch, full of gaslighting characters, toxic family dynamics, and bombshell secrets; yet, its chaotic descent into drama is what makes the film so intriguing. See more Vítor Pimentel de Oliveira V Mar 23 The inauguration of the Dogma 95 movement, this movie it's a punch in your stomach that somehow gets undermined by its frantic approach. See more Dani G 11/29/2024 An example that good filmmaking doesn't need big budgets or incredible visuals to be great. One of the most representative films of Dogma 95 See more Read all reviews
The Celebration

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Six Ways to Sunday 36% 73% Six Ways to Sunday Watchlist Elling 85% 91% Elling Watchlist The Idiots 72% 78% The Idiots Watchlist Together 90% 89% Together Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A dark secret mars a Dane's (Henning Moritzen) 60th birthday celebration, attended by his family (Ulrich Thomsen, Thomas Bo Larsen) and friends.
Director
Thomas Vinterberg
Producer
Birgitte Hald
Screenwriter
Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov
Distributor
October Films
Production Co
Nimbus Film, SVT Drama, Nordisk Film & TV-Fond, Danmarks Radio
Rating
R (References to Sexual Abuse|Language|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre
Drama, Comedy
Original Language
Danish
Release Date (Theaters)
May 2, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.6M
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Dolby
Aspect Ratio
Academy (1.33:1)