Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Barbarian Invasions

Play trailer Poster for The Barbarian Invasions R Released Aug 30, 2003 1h 39m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
81% Tomatometer 132 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
In this sequel to "The Decline of the American Empire," middle-aged Montreal-based professor Rémy (Rémy Girard) discovers that he is terminally ill with cancer. This revelation leads to his reconnecting with his son, Sébastien (Stéphane Rousseau), a finance expert living in London who has embraced ideals that are at odds with his father's socialist leanings. As Remy reconnects with his son, and other relatives and friends, they discuss everything from sex to politics to philosophy.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The Barbarian Invasions

The Barbarian Invasions

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A moving and heart-felt film from director Denys Arcand.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (132) Critics Reviews
David Stratton The Australian Arcand’s intelligent, witty, delicate film is a constant joy and for once the academy got it right — this foreign language film richly deserved its Oscar. Jan 3, 2024 Full Review Alexander Walker London Evening Standard It is a beauty. It blitzes all the phoniness, pretentiousness and political correctness around today, savages icons of popular and national culture, gives the finger to religious untouchables like Mother Theresa, and brought the house down. Jan 10, 2018 Full Review Will Self London Evening Standard Arcand's own script is delightfully fluid, his direction poised. Jan 9, 2018 Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site The film is deeply eclectic and confused, the characters largely unreal and caricatured. Arcand has the unfortunate inclination to be paradoxical rather than penetrating. Feb 16, 2021 Full Review Felicia Feaster Creative Loafing [A] subtle and scrupulously intelligent film. Jan 30, 2020 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com "The Barbarian Invasions" is an intriguing meditation on the inevitable fall of ideologies under the pressure of nature's laws. Rated: B May 4, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (743) audience reviews
dave s Remy (Remy Girard) finds himself alone in the world after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. With the assistance of his ex-wife, he is able to reconnect with his son in an effort to establish some sort of meaningful relationship in the days before he dies. While director Denys Arcand's film could be accused of having too many talking heads, it provides some fascinating ruminations on politics, faith, history, mortality and the meaning of life. As friends and family gather around him in his final days, the film is touching without being maudlin, an insightful examination of how we live our lives and what ultimately is of value in the face of death. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review William L A considerable improvement on its original iteration from the better part of two decades prior, The Barbarian Invasion feels more weighty and sincere than The Death of the American Empire as it contemplates death and life together, dealing in tragedy, love, friendship, and dismay in equal measure. There is a genuine sense of unpredictability in the story, with Rousseau's Sébastien unexpectedly hatching a scheme to source heroin by asking police officers, and then an unusual detour into the commercial value of art salvaged from churches as a discussion on the collapse of Catholicism in Quebec. There is a clear utility of the unique aspects of the film's setting, as well, with pointed criticisms of domestic healthcare featuring prominently alongside the views deep in a lakefront paradise. While the film does a good job building up a barbed but sincere sense of love among friends and family, there is still a weight pulling it down - the presentation of our returning cast of characters as the enlightened literati, lamenting the downfall of intelligence in society with their chummy, synchronized quotes and self-reflection. Seeing the full experience come to a conclusion is actually made all the better by the prior film's sense of superficiality, but it's still hard to relate to this group of highly promiscuous, wine-swirling former radicals. Perhaps it's simply a generation gap, and I'll appreciate the subtleties more with age. (3.5/5) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/26/21 Full Review Audience Member Clearly, it is a moving and witty work but I think there is something missing, in order for it to be considered a masterpiece. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Very good movie. Emotional and smart at the same time. Memorable characters all around. Some of the dialogue was a bit too random/misplaced though. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member Armed with a cynical sense of humor and post-9/11 perspective on life, "The Barbarian Invasions" will leave you feeling richer for the experience. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member "Among the greatest films of all time" Me Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Barbarian Invasions

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

The Man on the Train 92% 79% The Man on the Train Watchlist Human Nature 48% 61% Human Nature Watchlist The Secret Lives of Dentists 85% 58% The Secret Lives of Dentists Watchlist Lost in Translation 95% 85% Lost in Translation Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis In this sequel to "The Decline of the American Empire," middle-aged Montreal-based professor Rémy (Rémy Girard) discovers that he is terminally ill with cancer. This revelation leads to his reconnecting with his son, Sébastien (Stéphane Rousseau), a finance expert living in London who has embraced ideals that are at odds with his father's socialist leanings. As Remy reconnects with his son, and other relatives and friends, they discuss everything from sex to politics to philosophy.
Director
Denys Arcand
Producer
Denise Robert, Daniel Louis
Screenwriter
Denys Arcand
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Astral Films
Rating
R (Sexual Dialogue|Language|Drug Content)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 30, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 11, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.4M
Runtime
1h 39m
Most Popular at Home Now