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Nastassja Kinski, Scarlett Johansson, Tony Goldwyn, Agnes Banfalvy, Zsuzsa Czinkóczi ... see more see more... , Mae Whitman , Lisa Jane Persky , Colleen Camp , Larisa Oleynik , Eva Soreny , Kata Dobó

A true story based on the life story of writer/director Eva Gardos, this film depicts the personal odyssey of a family's escape from Communist Hungary. One night, Margaret (Nastassja Kinski) and Peter... read more read more... (Tony Goldwyn) arrange to escape Hungary with their eldest daughter in tow, forcing them to leave behind their youngest, Suzanne, in the care of Margaret's mother. When the mother is separated from the young child, she goes to live in a peaceful Eastern European countryside with a loving man and woman who raise her until age six, where Suzanne is sent for by her birth parents, now living in America. She finds the adjustment difficult and does not fully comprehend that Margaret and Peter are her parents, but she is willing to stay, and if she feels the same way in several years, Peter has agreed to give her a ticket back to Hungary. Later, as a rebellious teenager (played by Scarlett Johansson), with Margaret becoming a highly overprotective mother, she takes her father up on his offer to go back and reconnect with those who raised her as a child. While in Hungary, she has a change of heart , however, and discovers her true identity. The feature also co-stars Mae Whitman, Emmy Rossum, and Larisa Oleynik. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Flixster Users

63% liked it

3,158 ratings

Critics

55% liked it

60 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 42 min.

Directed by: Éva Gárdos

Release Date: August 10, 2001

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DVD Release Date: January 22, 2002

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Stats: 119 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (119)

  • jeannetteg
    September 28, 2008
    jeannetteg
    This movie is really good. It's about a wealthy family that ran to america due to a cold war. They go to america to live the american dream, except that they have to leave thier youngest daughter behind due to her being a baby. Years later they get her back and go through problem... read mores like all families do.
  • saumacus
    June 3, 2007
    saumacus
    One of the opening scenes of this film, where Soviet soldiers harass a young Hungarian woman in a restaurant and shoot her father for an attempt to protect her, is totally false. It has probably been made that way for a benefit of an average American moviegoer, who would easily u... read morenderstand a bar brawl scene, but set in Eastern Europe few years after the Second World War ended ... One has to understand the restrictions the occupying Soviet Army's solders were under: Were they allowed to go to a restaurant? (No, they weren't.) Would they have money to pay even if they were able to go? (Same answer.) Would they have loaded weapons on them to shoot anyone there? (Absolutely not.) The whole episode (spell it c-l-i-c-h-é) belongs to a bad Western movie.

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Critic Reviews

Jay Carr
September 14, 2001
Jay Carr, Boston Globe

An American Rhapsody, in its straightforward way, earns its emotions.

Susan Stark
September 7, 2001
Susan Stark, Detroit News

An American Rhapsody speaks from the heart to the heart.

Terry Lawson
September 7, 2001
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

This should be a fascinating story, but An American Rhapsody never develops a melody or a rhythm, much less the epiphany the title suggests. Full Review

Eric Harrison
September 6, 2001
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

The film is never less than engaging. Full Review

Jane Sumner
August 30, 2001
Jane Sumner, Dallas Morning News

A profoundly touching event. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
August 24, 2001
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

A near-great film for about an hour that changes into a self-indulgent mess. Full Review

Kevin Courrier
August 24, 2001
Kevin Courrier, Globe and Mail

A bland Hallmark card that serves as a tired tribute to family fortitude. Full Review

Roger Ebert
August 24, 2001
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The American children of immigrants from anywhere will probably find moments they recognize in this movie. Full Review

Loren King
August 23, 2001
Loren King, Chicago Tribune

A powerful account of the universal search for identity and the meaning of 'home.' Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
August 17, 2001
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

Simultaneously poignant and heavy-handed, sentimental and sententious.

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