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The Celebration

R Released May 2, 1998 1h 45m Comedy Drama List
91% Tomatometer 47 Reviews 94% Audience Score 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. Read More Read Less
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.

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Critics Reviews

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Caroline Rees Empire Magazine There's no denying that some of the Dogme strictures inject urgency and surprise into what could have been a tediously static affair. Rated: 3/5 Sep 22, 2020 Full Review Paul Tatara CNN.com I'll be thinking about this movie for a long time to come. Sep 22, 2020 Full Review Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly A funny, volatile, visually dynamic story about the unraveling of one extended family during the course of a patriarchal 60th-birthday dinner. Rated: A- Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Brian Susbielles InSession Film 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. Feb 22, 2023 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review The Celebration transcends the movement, even while its narrative exists in symbolic, dramatic harmony with Dogme 95's attitude toward cinematic conventions. Rated: 4/4 Feb 12, 2022 Full Review Jeremy Aspinall Radio Times This is family drama at its most coruscating. Rated: 4/5 Sep 22, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
Alexsander F Isso sim é um filme autoral e de vanguarda, da maneira que eu gosto "câmera na mão e ideia na cabeça", um longa experimental e fantástico, o (Dogma 95), é um movimento do qual sou um grande entusiasta. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/02/24 Full Review Sam F Even if sick from the hand-held camera, this was an amazing, must see display of truth in the face. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/13/24 Full Review TrueBlueReview I An emotional roller coaster, authentic to its core, and deeply effecting. I have seen few movies like it. Vacillating between dark comedy and utter melancholy, the strands of trauma run taut throughout this claustrophobic piece of bold filmmaking as it unfolds in real time. Each character has a purpose, each scene keeps you engaged. Ulrich Thomsen is phenomenal. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/07/23 Full Review renaldo d The best film of the dogme 95 movement, fantastic script, editing and accelerated camera capture so that the events are realistic, in addition, fantastic performances and direction Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I've seen this movie a few times over the years and I can't come up with one bad thing to say about it. It's a masterpiece. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member The sharp screenplay, though written by the filmmaker to comply with Dogme's 10 rules and its staunch edict to forsake "artistry" and "refrain from personal taste," is a profoundly personal explosion of what isn't talked about. It was a blast felt around the world, resonating in the form of accolades, awards, and an Oscar-winning film career for Vinterberg. And The Celebration -- and by extension, Vinterberg and his excellent crew and bold cast (including Ulrich Thomsen, Henning Moritzen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Paprika Steen, and Gbatokai Dakinah) earns every bit of the massive acclaim it reaped. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Celebration

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Cast & Crew

Mifune 74% 84% Mifune Elling 85% 91% Elling Six Ways to Sunday 36% 73% Six Ways to Sunday Together 90% 89% Together The Idiots 72% 78% The Idiots 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
SVT Drama, Nimbus Film, Nordisk Film & TV-Fond, Danmarks Radio
Rating
R (References to Sexual Abuse|Language|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
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)