Reel Paradise

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Reel Paradise

R

Released Aug 17, 2005

1h 53m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

New York film programmer John Pierson decides to pull up stakes and relocate his wife Janet, son Wyatt, and daughter Georgia to Fiji for a year. It's there that he purchases the 180 Meridian, ostensibly the most isolated movie theater on Earth. Despite a multitude of problems -- a drunk projectionist, bouts with dengue fever, local priests who disapprove -- the theater proves a success with locals, and documentary filmmaker Steve James chronicles the last month of their experiment.

Critics Consensus

The travails of the Piersons as they try to adjust to a radically different culture while introducing American cinema to it makes for amusing viewing.

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Highly watchable.

Oct 25, 2005

Full Review

Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The director's visit wasn't long enough to fully humanize this culture clash, but some of the movie's conclusions seem universal.

Rated: B

Oct 25, 2005

Full Review

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

An amusingly damning portrait of a man trying to impose his will on a world that, really, has better things to do.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 21, 2005

Full Review

Ethan Alter

Film Journal International

A fascinating study in cross-cultural communication, as well as a deeply personal examination of family dynamics.

Mar 1, 2007

Full Review

Boston Phoenix

What is learned? Not so much how cultures impinge on each other as how cinema shapes our lives.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 25, 2005

Full Review

Scott Renshaw

Salt Lake City Weekly

Though these scenes may have energy, they're also mostly noise -- distractions from a collection of scenes without a driving force.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 25, 2005

Full Review

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Audience Member

Cross-cultural communication and the magic of cinema bringing everyone across world together in one in spite of their differences were key points in the movie. Absolutely great!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/20/24

Full Review

Bulgantamir B

It's a movie you won't regret watching

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/02/24

Full Review

Bahad j

I felt like the characters in this movie could feel the happiness and difficulties that they faced in real life.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/01/24

Full Review

Бавуу Э

New York film programmer John Pierson decides to pull up stakes and relocate his wife Janet, son Wyatt, and daughter Georgia to Fiji for a year. It's there that he purchases the 180 Meridian, ostensibly the most isolated movie theater on Earth. Despite a multitude of problems -- a drunk projectionist, bouts with dengue fever, local priests who disapprove -- the theater proves a success with locals, and documentary filmmaker Steve James chronicles the last month of their experiment.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/19/24

Full Review

Geke g

It gives me a huge motivation to go on a trip

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/29/24

Full Review

Audience Member

If you enjoy both movies and traveling then I think you will really be engaged by this film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

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Steve James

Director

Steve James

Producer

Scott Mosier

Producer

P.H. O'Brien

Co-Producer

Janet Pierson

Executive Producer

John Pierson

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

New York film programmer John Pierson decides to pull up stakes and relocate his wife Janet, son Wyatt, and daughter Georgia to Fiji for a year. It's there that he purchases the 180 Meridian, ostensibly the most isolated movie theater on Earth. Despite a multitude of problems -- a drunk projectionist, bouts with dengue fever, local priests who disapprove -- the theater proves a success with locals, and documentary filmmaker Steve James chronicles the last month of their experiment.

Director: Steve James
Producer: Steve James, Scott Mosier
Distributor: Wellspring Media
Production Co: View Askew Productions
Rating: R (Brief Crude Humor|Language|Including Sexual References)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 17, 2005, Original
Release Date (DVD): Feb 14, 2006
Box Office (Gross USA): $31.0K
Runtime: 1h 53m