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Amreeka

Play trailer Poster for Amreeka PG-13 2009 1h 36m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 71 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
A vivacious Palestinian woman (Nisreen Faour) and her teenage son (Melkar Muallem) cope with culture clash and more as they try to build a new life in rural Illinois.
Amreeka

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A dramedy that's got a taste for the tragic as well as the poignantly comic, Amreeka adds a new sweetness to the hope and distress of the immigrant experience.

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Critics Reviews

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Philip French Guardian Not a subtle film, but an attractive, affecting one. May 15, 2011 Full Review Tom Seymour Little White Lies In attempt to sustain momentum, the film begins to lurch from comic-book realism to join-the-dots melodrama. Rated: 2/5 May 13, 2011 Full Review Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard The film is more gentle than harsh, relying on a very fine performance from the charming Faour and settings in Palestine and Illinois that seem very real. Rated: 3/5 May 13, 2011 Full Review Sam Blan emel Cherien Dabis, the director, does a wonderful job of making this story a heartfelt look at what it means to be an outsider and what it means to believe in something so strongly, you will do whatever it takes to make it work. Jul 21, 2021 Full Review Lucy Popescu CineVue In just 90 minutes, [Cherien Dabis] deftly explores big themes - alienation, cultural identity, and a sense of belonging - carefully detailing the immigrant experience. Rated: 4/5 Mar 22, 2021 Full Review Sophie Ivan Film4 Enjoyable but uneven, Amreeka is an unlikely comic take on the plight of the displaced, at home and abroad. Rated: 3/5 May 16, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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camille l Pour son premier film, Cherien Dabis décide de parler de sa propre vie et de sa famille en contant l'histoire d'une mère et de son fils qui quittent la Palestine pour aller vivre aux USA, dans l'Illinois. Au lieu d'en faire un drame, Cherien Dabis en fait une comédie, parfois hilarante, souvent grinçante, constamment efficace. Nisreen Faour est absolument fabuleuse dans le rôle principal, tandis qu'on note de belles performances d'Hiam Abbass, Yussuf Abu-Warda et Alia Shawkat. Jamais les situations semblent être exagérées ou dramatisées pour rendre le film plus marquant. Au contraire, ce sont les petites choses de la vie que retranscrit Dabis qui sont particulièrement réussies et qui en font un excellent film, à qui l'on pardonnerait presque de faire encore plus de publicité pour le White Castle que le premier opus des aventures d'Harold & Kumar. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Liked this so much. Some people would argue that it's diluted in Hollywood fluff, maybe over-sentimental and simplistic, but regardless of how obvious its lessons SHOULD be, they're not obvious to everyone. Wonderfully acted and realistic, with a perfect ending, hopeful but not over-sappy. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member A middling film about the trials and tribulations of a Palestinian family and their new home in America. When things are bad, they are truly bad and when they are good, things are perfect. Unfortunately that loses reality in a film. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Cherien Dabis too easily resolves or dismisses the characters' problems, making way for an upbeat ending. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member I enjoyed it, though nothing about it stand out to me. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member A Palestinian divorced mother moves with her teenaged son to Illinois to live and go to school. Good enough. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Amreeka

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Cast & Crew

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Cherien Dabis

Director

Nisreen Faour

Muna Farah

Melkar Muallem

Fadi Farah

Hiam Abbass

Raghda Halaby

Alia Shawkat

Salma

Jenna Kawar

Rana Halaby

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Amreeka

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Movie Info

Synopsis A vivacious Palestinian woman (Nisreen Faour) and her teenage son (Melkar Muallem) cope with culture clash and more as they try to build a new life in rural Illinois.
Director
Cherien Dabis
Producer
Paul Barkin, Christina Piovesan
Screenwriter
Cherien Dabis
Distributor
National Geographic
Rating
PG-13 (Involving Teens|Brief Drug Use|Some Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
Arabic
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 4, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2017
Runtime
1h 36m