Amreeka

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Amreeka

PG-13

Released Sep 4, 2009

1h 36m

Comedy

Drama

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87%

Tomatometer

71 Reviews

76%

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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.

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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Philip French

Guardian

Not a subtle film, but an attractive, affecting one.

May 15, 2011

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Audience Member

I enjoyed it, though nothing about it stand out to me.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

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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

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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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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