Critic Reviews
Ararat (2002) Rank 2 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (141) reviews
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Expanded Cinemah
Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
Doesn't connect with its audience in the one place that matters most: the heart. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
Variety (Todd McCarthy)
Egoyan's pedantic, lecturing approach makes the film a bit of a slog, although the basic material has an intrinsic interest that makes one at least want to know more about the historical events. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Variety (Todd McCarthy)
The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)
Though typically engaging, Ararat occasionally suffers from what's previously been a virtue in Egoyan's filmmaking. His distancing techniques, rather than sharpening his ability to deal with a subject that lends itself to high emotion -- sometimes just ...read the complete Ararat movie review at The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)
Netflix (James Rocchi)
Atom Egoyan may be our new Kubrick -- but his latest film's exploration of genocide and culture is the textbook definition of "ambitious failure." ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Netflix (James Rocchi)
Empire Magazine (--)
TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)
After making several adaptations of other writers' work, Armenian-Canadian director Atom Egoyan broached an original treatment of a deeply personal subject. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)
Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
World Socialist Web Site
World Socialist Web Site
Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
An impressive work in many regards -- the acting, the photography, the pace -- but it would've been even more so had Egoyan gone with his gut and been less indulgent of his brain. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
The Phantom Tollbooth
The story goes back and forth from 1917, and the actors in the film, to present day. At times, audience members just aren't sure where they are. Actually, the story is based on the memoirs of an American doctor, Ussher, who headed a medical facility in ...read the complete Ararat movie review at The Phantom Tollbooth
Time Out New York (Mike D'Angelo)
Like all of Egoyan's work, Ararat is fiercely intelligent and uncommonly ambitious. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Time Out New York (Mike D'Angelo)
Boxoffice Magazine
Boxoffice Magazine
Cinema 2000 (Eurico de Barros; João Lopes)
Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)
Before long, you get Egoyan's big idea -- and it's hardly a good one. He wants to turn the movie screen into a blackboard. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)
Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
Exploring the fluid nature of history ... [is] a fascinating conceit, but one Egoyan has trouble executing. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
Seattle Times (Moira MacDonald)
It's a deeply serious movie that cares passionately about its subject, but too often becomes ponderous in its teaching of history, or lost in the intricate connections and multiple timelines of its story. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Seattle Times (Moira MacDonald)
Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
Too much time is wasted showing how these people are joined, instead of what those connections mean and why these characters all belong in the same movie. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
Globe and Mail (Liam Lacey)
The metaphors are provocative, but too often, the viewer is left puzzled by the mechanics of the delivery. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Globe and Mail (Liam Lacey)
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
A puzzle whose pieces do not fit. Some are fascinating and others are not, and in the end, it is almost a good movie. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
USA Today (Mike Clark)
Has its moments -- and almost as many subplots. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at USA Today (Mike Clark)
Newsday (John Anderson)
Hardly makes the kind of points Egoyan wanted to make, nor does it exist as the kind of monument he wanted to build, to victims whose voices have never gained the ears of the world. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Newsday (John Anderson)
New York Daily News (Jami Bernard)
Only two hours long but it may take your mind another day to get through it. Egoyan has stuffed a lot into this personal and strenuously opaque film, which perhaps explains why its over-plotted, elliptical structure seems so onerous. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at New York Daily News (Jami Bernard)
Detroit News (Susan Stark)
Hollywood.com (--)
Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)
[Egoyan is] so careful telling the story of the genocide that much of the film feels cold and didactic, like watching a slide show in a lecture hall. ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)
Movie Habit (Marty Mapes)
But for us, the film’s audience, you’re much more likely to ask “when will this ...read the complete Ararat movie review at Movie Habit (Marty Mapes)
User Reviews
by RHC "TemporaryOne... on March 30, 2008
First, thank you 2007-2008 Men's World Figure Skating Champion Jeffrey Buttle for skating to the score of Ararat this recently completed skating season.
This was the only Egoyan film I had not yet watched, for several reasons, but when I watched one of ...
by Author-Poet Aberj... on March 06, 2008
Director and writer Atom Egoyan--who has won universal acclaim for such films as Exotica (1995), The Sweet Hereafter (1997) and Where the Truth Lies in 2005--is generally not one for presenting his movies in straightforward narrative formats. His 2002 ...
by No fluff "Too Cri... on June 27, 2007
This wonderful, but painful movie should be a "most see" by people of all ages, 12 and older. It is the simple, straightforward and clear telling of the Armenian genocide by the Turks between 1914-1920. I was quite ignorant of the incident until I was in ...
by Steve McGarrett on November 19, 2006
I originally watched this movie on cable and found it very interesting. I wanted to watch it again and got a good deal on the DVD from ebay. I'm glad I bought it. The director's commentary for the film is excellent. Egoyan directly speaks to many of ...
by James Kerr "James... on April 23, 2006
This is a clever film with an imaginative layering of stories, with a central historical thrust that is disturbing but important to hear about. ...
by Bart King on April 15, 2006
I can't remember any film that addresses so many serious topics on such a sophisticated level. While it isn't always successful (some of the actors aren't quite up to the task), I didn't care.
In case anyone misses it, Arshile Gorky (the film's artist) ...
by Sevan A. Angacian on March 14, 2006
This film is incredibly poignant and worth purchasing, viewing, and sharing with others! Magnificently made and with deep understanding of the Armenian issues and those of all diasporas, ARARAT is a ...
by El Greco "El Grec... on September 29, 2005
It's a great movie, revealing the truth about the Armenian genocide committed by the Turks, and masterfully concealed not only by Turkey, but also here in the U.S.A., by government officials, and the ...
by Kate C. on May 18, 2005
A while back a friend of mine (a *HUGE* Egoyan fan) and I (who views his movies kind of as "take it or leave it") got into a heated debate about this movie over lunch. I loved the movie; I thought that it was intricate, had great characters which were ...
by K. Agopian on February 10, 2005
This movie let me understand what the Armenians went through. It painted a picture that will forever stay with me. This is a must watch movie and must have in your collection. Very powerful and deep. ...
User Comments
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