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The Barbarian Invasions

Les invasions barbares

2003

Denys Arcand

Rémy Girard, Stéphane Rousseau, Marie-Josée Croze, Dorothée Berryman ...

7.4

22,151

Comedy. Drama In his early 50s and divorced, Rémy is in the hospital. His ex-wife pleads with their son Sébastien, a very successful businessman in London, England, to come home. Sébastien hesitates — he and his father haven’t had much to say to each other for a very long time — but ends up agreeing to return, along with his French wife, to help his mother out. As soon as he arrives, Sébastien does everything in his power to get a clear diagnosis of ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	A. O. Scott The New York Times	"What makes 'The Barbarian Invasions' much more than a facile exercise in generational conflict is that Denys Arcand (...) has a sense of history that is as acute as it is playful"	POS
United States	Ed Gonzalez Slant	"'Barbarian Invasions' plays out as a midlife version of 'American Pie', though nowhere near as honest (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEG
United Kingdom	Patrick Peters Empire	"So many fascinating ideas are raised here that Arcand's decision to explore them within the context of a self-satisfied soap is disappointing (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"Everything is shot through with middlebrow sophistication, boorish cynicism, unfunny satire, a dash of fatuous anti-Americanism and unthinkingly reactionary sexual politics"	NEG
United States	Lisa Nesselson Variety	"A full-bodied, funny and gloriously unpretentious ode to family, friendship and the meaning of life, 'The Barbarian Invasions' is solidly entertaining, sharply written and genuinely touching"	POS
United States	Noel Murray AV Club	"'The Barbarian Invasions' flaws are mainly glaring because the movie is occasionally so winning"	NEU
United States	Ted Shen Chicago Reader	"[The director] finds a tonal balance between sentimental and cynical that keeps the conversations real and heart wrenching"	POS
United Kingdom	Jonathan Romney The Independent	"At best it's an enjoyably provocative anomaly, at worst a dyspeptic 'On Golden Pond' for old lefties."	NEU
United States	Peter Travers Rolling Stone	"It’s a feast of smart, sexy, glorious talk. The Oscar for best foreign film belongs right here (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"	POS

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