Critic Reviews
Off the Map (2003) Rank 3 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (86) reviews
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San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
As children, many of us are embarrassed by our parents - be it their geekiness, financial status or attitude. Lets face it, all of us wanted mom or dad to drop us off at LEAST a block away from school. However, as we grow up we learn to respect or at ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Boxoffice Magazine (Annlee Ellingson)
The main character here is an acute sense of place -- a place where one hunts for food but never for sport; where the only sounds are owls hooting in stereo; and where greater purpose is not defined by work but by art. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Boxoffice Magazine (Annlee Ellingson)
eFilmCritic.com (David Cornelius)
Scott lets the story take its own time, revealing its secrets in its own special way. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at eFilmCritic.com (David Cornelius)
Weekly Planet (Tampa, FL) (Lance Goldenberg)
...eloquently written but not overwritten, with a story that ultimately feels less like a literary construct and more like a spontaneous celebration of a few lived lives... ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Weekly Planet (Tampa, FL) (Lance Goldenberg)
Arizona Republic (Bill Muller)
A journey into an austere land of moviemaking where few artists dare go. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Arizona Republic (Bill Muller)
Boston Phoenix (Peter Keough)
FromTheBalcony (Bill Clark)
Movie House Commentary
Off the Map is a "small" character-driven film that made the festival circuit in 2003 and then fell ... well ... off the map, unable to get distribution. Critics liked it, but nobody believed in its marketability. It was finally resuscitated this year ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Movie House Commentary
IMDB.com
Here is a film in which some key characters change–which is the norm in most of literature and film. The catalyst for this change (who changes radically himself) is young William Gibbs (Jim TrueFrost) who turns out to be just on the safe side of ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at IMDB.com
Boston Herald (James Verniere)
Baltimore Sun (--)
Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
Surprisingly enjoyable and insightful, full of hope and generosity, with characters and a story that not only satisfy but also shed light in various directions. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
Its distinctive rhythms and off-kilter humor introduce us to some intriguing people and make us eager to find out what will happen to them. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
Philadelphia Inquirer
"We're pretty casual around here," deadpans Arlene Groden (Joan Allen) to an IRS accountant (Jim True-Frost) who has just trekked across days' worth of New Mexico desert to find the woman and her family - tax deadbeats who live off the land, and ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer
Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Players bring a fresh spirit to the mix, borne of a fervent desire to live life to the fullest. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)
The Land of Enchantment lives up to its name in this unusual and surprisingly affecting comedy-drama. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)
Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)
Melancholy, lost, but looking. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)
San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
Despite some florid narration it is quietly spoken, humorous, quick with sympathy. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
The funny and heartbreaking Off the Map, directed with a poet's eye and a keen ear for nuance by Campbell Scott, resonates with something rare in today's movies: simplicity. It respects the New Mexico desert setting where Charley (Sam Elliott), his ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)
A poetically rugged demonstration of these hypotheses, in which nature and human nature are shown to be variations of the same thing. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Duane Dudek)
Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
Joan Allen is recently gaining some well-deserved notoriety for her film performances. I thought she was absolutely smashing in "The Contender." Sam Elliot, as well, is so full of charisma that it's growing out his ears, like hair on an old man. (Heck, ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Funny and heartbreaking. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
E! Online (--)
You'll find some fine performances and good intentions. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at E! Online (--)
Austin Chronicle (Marrit Ingman)
Off the map is right. After kicking around the festival circuit for two years – including a turn at the Austin Film Festival in 2003 – this intriguing ensemble dramedy finally gets a limited release. It’s not perfect and strives too hard to be quirky ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marrit Ingman)
Premiere Magazine (Kevin Allison)
Reel.com DVD review (Sarah Chauncey)
UTK Daily Beacon (LaRue Cook)
DVD Town (James Plath)
Film Threat (Don R. Lewis)
A film of quiet beauty, striking comedy and touching truths. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Film Threat (Don R. Lewis)
Daytona Beach News-Journal (Fl.) (Jeff Farance)
The Nedpages (Ned Depew)
Plume-Noire.com Film Review
Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
"Things just seem to happen without rhyme or reason. " ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
You can't get past the knowledge that you've seen it all before, and often better. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
FromTheBalcony (Victoria Alexander)
Reel Talk (Betty Jo Tucker)
Reeling Reviews with Robin & Laura Clifford
Slant Magazine (Ed Gonzalez)
IMDB.com
The overly long movie tosses in, and then just as quickly disposes of, all sorts of subplots. In one of them, Charley and his wife Arlene (Joan Allen) are shown to be practicing nudism around their remote house, which is off the map in the New Mexico ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at IMDB.com
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Ed Blank)
We never get the back story in "Off the Map," a screenplay Joan Ackermann adapted from her own play.
The adult Cecilia Rose (Amy Brenneman), called Bo, tells us in years-later narration that 1974 was "the summer my father was ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Ed Blank)
Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
If it's not the best example of a film's adaptation of a play -- well, it's a fine example of what independent, idiosyncratic filmmaking is all about. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Jeff Vice)
There are simply too many people populating this comedy-drama, which keeps introducing more and more story elements until there isn't enough time to sufficiently tie them all up. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Jeff Vice)
One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Newsday (Jan Stuart)
Reveals its stage roots through prosaic narration (by Amy Brenneman, as the grown-up Bo) and metaphor-laden dialogue. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Newsday (Jan Stuart)
Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
Staged hokiness is magnified on the big screen. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Los Angeles Daily News (Bob Strauss)
efilmcritic.com (Collin Souter)
The wondrous, mysterious landscapes of New Mexico have been beautifully photographed. As for the story and characters, I sat there unable to buy a word of it. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at efilmcritic.com (Collin Souter)
Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
In spite of being shot in the sun-saturated desert landscapes of New Mexico, Off the Map feels half-baked. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
Seattle Times (John Hartl)
It's so focused on the subject that the downer mood becomes distressingly contagious. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at Seattle Times (John Hartl)
One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Proves a case of some very good actors crossing the boundary from the region of off-beat domestic drama into the dread realm of preciousness and pretension. ...read the complete Off the Map movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
User Reviews
by Mark E. Moses on September 21, 2009
Any time I have a desire to be transported to the high desert of New Mexico and spend some time in contemplation of my own life and where I am in it,I watch Off the Map.
For me it is a transforming experience. Joan Allen gives her usual yummy fantastic ...
by Melody C. Johnson on August 07, 2009
this movie is great! I rented it once about 3 years ago I was browsing one day found it had to have it now I ...
by Penny on May 04, 2009
One of my favorite movies. It is easy but not simple. Beautiful shots and the story but is deep and moving. The acting is the best.
You wont forget it. ...
by A. Bea "Greystone... on January 03, 2009
If you haven't seen this film, see it. It's a keeper. I will tell you now, however, it's a little slow to start and more than a little quirky. It may not appeal to younger people for these reasons. No car chases.. nor big explosions..or small ones ...
by Zebaulla "JK" on August 28, 2008
Depression hits and it is such huge work trying to turn it all around and along comes this magic gift...WOW!
I found "Off The Map" so heart warmingly brilliant that I sat and watched it over again. I wanted to stay within the "given" within it all ...
by Luca Graziuso on July 29, 2008
The gentle rhythm of the movie is a gesture that penetrates the mysterious glow of nature with intense wisdom. I cannot recommend this movie enough. Director Campbell Scott accentuates the poetry of nature through a stark depiction of a land stripped of ...
by G. Hentz "Write V... on March 08, 2008
A beautiful movie set in northern New Mexico in a simple time. A family lives in the NM high desert rural land reminiscent of "the 60s" style living. The story is occasionally narrated through the eyes of the daughter, now adult. The acting is superb. ...
by John Farr "The Be... on July 23, 2007
Beautifully shot and rich in emotion, "Map" is a film that quietly gets under your skin. Elliott is a revelation as Charley, a man carrying a nameless despair that's struck him dumb, while Allen is fabulous (no surprise) as philosophical bedrock Arlene. ...
by J. Cox on July 21, 2007
Great New Mexico scenes. If you are a dreamer and a little laid back, then you need to see this movie. Sam Elliot plays a different role, which is a depressed person. ...
by singapore51 on October 03, 2006
The descriptions in the Amazon synopsis seem to omit some crucial elements of the gentle but evenly paced gem. The acting is superb. The direction is elegant, with poignant pauses that allow the furniture to creak dialogue, the desert's army of owls and ...
User Comments
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