Everything Is Illuminated

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Everything Is Illuminated

PG-13

2005

1h 46m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

65%

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116 Reviews

89%

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50,000+ Ratings

A young Jewish-American man obsessed with his family history, Jonathan Safran Foer (Elijah Wood) decides to journey to the Ukraine to find out more about the life of his grandfather. Guided by Alex (Eugene Hutz), a rap-obsessed local, Jonathan ventures into the heartland of the Ukraine seeking to shed light on events that occurred to his grandfather during World War II. Joining Jonathan and Alex is the latter's surly grandfather (Boris Leskin) and a dog named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.

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Critics Consensus

Although it excises much from its famously dense source material, Everything is Illuminated is a quirky, ambitious debut film from Liev Schreiber.

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Nevertheless, Everything Is Illuminated has a haunting afterglow, one that neither satisfies nor illuminates, but at least keeps the flame alive.

Rated: 2.5/5

Oct 22, 2005

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Amy Biancolli

Houston Chronicle

It's profound in the way that life is profound in hindsight, its view of the past both fixed in history and mutable in the telling. And it's exquisitely tender.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 8, 2005

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Eleanor Ringel Cater

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

This isn't a frivolous film or a dumb one. Mostly, it feels like a mistake -- the wrong director matched with the wrong material.

Rated: C

Oct 2, 2005

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Stefan Pape

Common Sense Media

While Schreiber shows promise behind the camera, the competing tones never quite harmonize into a satisfying whole.

Mar 4, 2025

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Felicia Feaster

Creative Loafing

Rather than aiming to please, the film expects a certain patience on the viewer's part as it ambles and slowly shifts from an often forced quirkiness to a bone-deep melancholy. That change of tack proves worth waiting for.

Feb 3, 2020

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

The lamentable influence of Dave Eggers' oh-so-precious post modern literary devices from "A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius" (2000) are glued all over a bullet proof piece of magical realism...

Rated: C-

Apr 15, 2009

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Jennifer B

I can't agree with most reviews here. This movie was brilliant. A journey to the past, Jonathon believed he was discovering his family but Alex gained much more.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/02/25

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Rich S

Liev Schreiber's directorial debut is a whimsical, almost fantasy-like journey into the past. It's unique. Some would say odd. And some would say it's not even appropriate. Too soon, maybe? But it will never be "not too soon." It lives on and we deal with it the best way we know how. And how one person handles something like the Holocaust is not universally suitable for the masses. For a couple of hours, though, you can watch "Everything Is Illuminated" and see three interwoven stories that touch on the horrible events of the past. You will chuckle and maybe laugh out loud. But always, just as in life, the atrocities are going to be right there, just out of our sight in the darkness.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/21/24

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Riccardo D

Absolutely beautiful and deep. Worth watching. Fun and moving at the same time.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/04/24

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g j

Wryly funny and heart-wrenchingly sad. A truly beautiful film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/27/23

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Audience Member

ONe of my favorite's movie so far

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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dave s

In Everything is Illuminated, Jonathan Safran Foer, the author of the source material novel, travels through the Ukraine to shed light on his family's history. Accompanied by an interpreter obsessed with American culture, a driver who believes he's blind, and an aggressive dog named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr., they embark on a journey that will prove to all parties that the past is part of the present and shapes the way we view both the world and ourselves. The film successfully merges gentle humor with devastating drama thanks to an insightful script by first-time director Liev Schreiber. Elijah Wood is excellent in the lead role, but the film is stolen by singer Eugene Hutz, who provides an inspired and hilarious performance as the interpreter.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Liev Schreiber

Director

Elijah Wood

Jonathan

Eugene Hutz

Alex

Boris Leskin

Alex's Grandfather

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Synopsis

A young Jewish-American man obsessed with his family history, Jonathan Safran Foer (Elijah Wood) decides to journey to the Ukraine to find out more about the life of his grandfather. Guided by Alex (Eugene Hutz), a rap-obsessed local, Jonathan ventures into the heartland of the Ukraine seeking to shed light on events that occurred to his grandfather during World War II. Joining Jonathan and Alex is the latter's surly grandfather (Boris Leskin) and a dog named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.

Director: Liev Schreiber
Producer: Marc Turtletaub, Peter Saraf
Screenwriter: Liev Schreiber
Distributor: Warner Independent
Production Co: Telegraph Films, Stillking Films, Big Beach Films, Warner Independent Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Disturbing Images/Violence|Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 16, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 2, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.7M
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Surround

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