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Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz, Boris Leskin, Zuzana Hodkova, Sandra Mikki ... see more see more... , Jan Filipensky , Mouse on Mars , Jonathan Safran Foer , Jana Hrabetova , Stepán Samudovský , Ljubomir Dezera , Oleksandr Choroshko , Gil Kazimirov , Robert Chytil , Jaroslava Sochová , Sergej Rjabcev , Jurij Lemeshev , Pamela Racine , Oleksandr Houtz , Ludmila Kartouská , Igor Latta , Eugenin Marandic , Orest Tkachyk , Eliás Bauer , Jurij Kokyrc , Sergej Kapitan , Jaroslav Jurichkanc , Igor Savivskij , Bert Schneider , Tereza Veselková , Laryssa Lauret , Lukás Král , Vera Sindelárová , Stephen Samudovsk

A young man takes a strange and unexpectedly funny journey in search of a family heroine he's never known in this screen adaptation of the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. Jonathan (Elijah Wood) is a li... read more read more...felong collector of any and all objects pertaining to his family, and he has become obsessed with a woman he's never met. The woman saved the life of his grandfather during World War II, when the Ukrainian town where he was born was destroyed by Nazi troops. Wanting to know more about the woman, Jonathan flies to the Ukraine, where with the help of a hip-hop obsessed, gold-toothed tour guide and translator named Alex (Eugene Hütz), Alex's grandfather (a chauffeur who has claimed to be blind since his wife's death, played by Boris Leskin), and a dog named Sammy Davis Junior Junior, Jonathan searches for the meaning of the present that lies buried in the past, unexpectedly shedding the same such light on the lives of those around him. Everything Is Illuminated was the first directorial assignment for acclaimed actor Liev Schreiber. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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87% liked it

57,551 ratings

Critics

67% liked it

118 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: Liev Schreiber

Release Date: September 16, 2005

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DVD Release Date: March 21, 2006

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Flixster Reviews (5,525)

  • brooklynspo
    July 9, 2007
    brooklynspo
    Broad ethnic humor and mawkish sentiment supposedly held together by Woods' blank expression and very meaningful fades to white.
  • danperry17
    January 3, 2012
    danperry17
    I resisted seeing this before reading the novel on which it's based, but I finally caved when it was on IFC... so glad I did. In the early going, director Liev Schreiber lets the camera and the music do most of the narrating before the perspective shifts to that of Ukrainian guid... read moree, Alex. It's unclear exactly whose story this is, which is the point in a way, and it's hard to say more than that without blowing the ending. A quirky, heavy film about finding out where we come from, and one that I really enjoyed. I think once I've read the book, I'll like it even more.
  • jamers2011
    December 25, 2011
    jamers2011
    A very interesting little film. I liked it...
  • blkbomb
    December 22, 2011
    blkbomb
    Alex: I was of the opinion that the past is past, and like all that is not now it should remain burried along the side of our memories. 

    "Leave Normal Behind."

    Everything is Illuminated is one of the more odd road movies you will ever see. The film isn't very funny, although it... read more has been dubbed a dramedy. The film was nothing like I expected, but was just as good. Elijah Wood gives a very subtle and good performance as Jonathan and the rest of the cast, which is unknown to me, is very good as well. The movie is unexpectedly weird and is not made in a very straightforward fashion, which I like. It is extremely well made though, with some beautiful cinematography and a score that fits the scenery and story very well.

    Jonathan is a Jew who collects and everything that somehow relates to his families past. He goes to the Ukraine is search of a woman who saved his grandfathers life during WW2, when their village was invaded and destroyed by the Nazis. The film is funny for about twenty minutes, but for the most part it is just a straight drama and near the end it gets very emotional. 

    I like this movie because it is about a Jew who's family was affected by WW2 and the Nazis, yet it isn't a Holocaust film. I'm seriously getting sick of watching WW2 related movies about Jews because they are all about the Holocaust and there are so many of them. This manages to be about much more and it also manages to be a extremely beautiful piece of filmmaking.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    August 30, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Everything is Illuminated is a wonderful comedy drama film with a great cast. What I loved about the film was that it had a good dose of both genres, and it blended nicely with the overall story. The result is a wonderful and memorable film. The story is well constructed and is a... read more lot of fun. The cast do a fine job, and the film manages to be heartfelt with emotion, comedy and drama. Elijah Wood's performance is wonderful and aside from his role in The Lord of the Rings, this is his best performance. Everything is Illuminated is definitely a film that's worth seeing, and the story is wonderful. The cast do a terrific job at creating something memorable on screen, and the result is a unique picture that is funny, heartwarming and sad all at once. If you're looking for a different type of comedy drama film, then Everything is Illuminated is that film. This is a well crafted film that really is a terrific film going experience. Everything about the film is wonderful, and there's not much to dislike. This is a well made film with a well developed story and this is definitely a film worth watching. This is a film with a wonderful story and acting to boot, if you're looking for something different, then this is the film you should consider watching.
  • ythelastman89
    November 20, 2009
    ythelastman89
    Wow, really a great movie. I was totally blown away. Liev Schreiber did an amazing job at giving this movie so much emotion and depth. Elijah Wood was really good and gave a solid performance as always. The Ukranian guy in it was great, he was really funny, but had so much heart ... read moreat the same time.
  • jennifxu
    November 5, 2009
    jennifxu
    This movie moves a bit too slow for my liking, but I love it all the same. It's about passivity and cultural identity and emotions and veracity and it's super impressive that the adaptation maintains the tone of the book without appearing too contrived.The score is BEAUTIFUL. It ... read morestuffs just enough comedotragic fusion to flesh out each character, each scene, each word. I love that it doesn't do that ironical humor-flash thing when scenes get too dramatic; it leaves each emotion separate. This is catharsis at its finest.
  • SirPant
    September 9, 2009
    SirPant
    No where near as good as the book but Eugene Hutz is as good an actor as he is a singer/performer.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    October 28, 2008
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "Leave Normal Behind."

    A young man takes a strange and unexpectedly funny journey in search of a family heroine he's never known in this screen adaptation of the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. Jonathan (Elijah Wood) is a lifelong collector of any and all objects pertai... read morening to his family, and he has become obsessed with a woman he's never met. The woman saved the life of his grandfather during World War II, when the Ukrainian town where he was born was destroyed by Nazi troops. Wanting to know more about the woman, Jonathan flies to the Ukraine, where with the help of a hip-hop obsessed, gold-toothed tour guide and translator named Alex (Eugene Hütz), Alex's grandfather (a chauffeur who has claimed to be blind since his wife's death, played by Boris Leskin), and a dog named Sammy Davis Junior Junior, Jonathan searches for the meaning of the present that lies buried in the past, unexpectedly shedding the same such light on the lives of those around him. Everything Is Illuminated was the first directorial assignment for acclaimed actor Liev Schreiber.

    Review
    A funny and heartwarming directorial debut from Liev Schreiber. Jonathan Foer is an American who travels to the Ukraine to find the woman that saved his grandfather's life during World War II. Alex is his often funny translator, and Alex's "blind" grandfather is their driver. Together the three (and a seeing eye Bitch) travel through the Ukrainian countryside searching for a village called Trachimbrod. Eventually they find Lista, who like Jonathan is a "collector". From her they learn about the past, and a secret about Alex's grandfather is revealed.

    A wonderful film that contains both laughter and sadness, filled with beautiful visuals and a good musical score. Highly recommended.
  • ironclad1609
    October 24, 2008
    ironclad1609
    A jewish man visiting the Ukraine to find the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis, roadtripping with his local guides, which makes for a really light-hearted, quirky and entertaining first half with many laughs as the cultures collide. Once we learn more about the past... read more Elijah Wood's character is looking into (with glasses that make his eyes bigger than they already are) and how his old guide has its own story with the Nazis the movie is getting deeply melancholic, touching, even sad. It still works as one film though, doesn't feel disrupted or out of place. There are many little things to learn about friendship, the meaning of your own past and remembering it. The nice cinematography of what feels like endless Ukrainian fields the car rides through is hard to forget, as well as the acting performances, especially by the old Russian actors. Wonderfully weird and worth seeing.

View All Everything is Illuminated Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
October 14, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

It's funny and warm, with the sting of the horrific event that triggered the trip giving it a melancholy feel. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
October 8, 2005
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

It's profound in the way that life is profound in hindsight, its view of the past both fixed in history and mutable in the telling. And it's exquisitely tender. Full Review

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
October 2, 2005
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

This isn't a frivolous film or a dumb one. Mostly, it feels like a mistake -- the wrong director matched with the wrong material. Full Review

Peter Howell
September 30, 2005
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

[Schreiber] has managed something of a feat ... in spinning a single charming story out of Foer's yarn ball of a novel, which spanned 200 years, multiple stories and various protagonists. Full Review

Liam Lacey
September 30, 2005
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

A movie that wraps a story of mass murder in a package of whimsy, and prefers to focus on our commonality rather than any collective complicity in the crimes of history. Full Review

Tom Long
September 30, 2005
Tom Long, Detroit News

Yes, we laugh; yes, we cry; the sun rises and sets. It's all quite enlightening.

Terry Lawson
September 30, 2005
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

Schreiber's streamlined version may be only a sliver of the whole, but it's a thoroughly entertaining and very rewarding piece of a very tasty pie.

Carrie Rickey
September 29, 2005
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

If Jonathan were a character instead of a symbol of American Immigrants Disconnected From Their History, Schreiber's movie might have worked.

Kerry Lengel
September 29, 2005
Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic

It sounds weird, and it is. It's also very funny, not to mention mesmerizing and, finally, heartbreaking. Full Review

Jeff Strickler
September 29, 2005
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

The ultra-serious Jonathan and the laid-back Alex are an ideal odd couple. By switching focus between them, Schreiber can quickly steer the movie to different emotional ground. Full Review

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    • Alex: I have reflected many times upon our rigid search. It has shown me that everything is illuminated in the light of the past.
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Everything is Illuminated Trivia

  • In which movie was there a seeing eye dog for an old man who could see?  Answer »
  • Which actor has been seen playing with dophins in "Flipper" and as a guy obsessed with family relics and the like in "Everything is Illuminated"?  Answer »
  • What Elijah Wood movie has the quote, "My grandfather informs me this is not possible?"  Answer »
  • In what Elijah Wood movie would you find a dog named "Sammy Davis Jr., Jr."?  Answer »
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