Melissa Leo,
Misty Upham,
Charlie McDermott,
Michael O'Keefe,
Mark Boone Jr.
... see more 
A desperate single mother living in upstate New York resorts to smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States as a means of making ends meet in first-time feature director/screenwriter Courtney ... read more
Directed by: Courtney Hunt
Release Date: August 1, 2008
Keywords:
budget,
independent,
illegal immigrants,
melissa leo,
frozen river,
courtney hunt,
Melissa Leo ,
Frozen River ,
Misty Upham ,
Courtney Hunt
DVD Release Date: February 10, 2009
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Stats: 2,181 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (2,181)
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June 27, 2011I can't say exactly why this film so affected me, but it did. It was almost too real, viciously shot, plain and "boring" and heart-breaking enough that it could've been a Canadian film. Melissa Leo is believable, and from the opening shot - her smoking and crying in the car with ... read more
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March 21, 2010A pointless film to say the least, More proof to the fact that being realistic is not enough for a movie to be good, The film depicts poverty & struggle without exploration or insight , It only tries to impress with its shallow bitterness & harshness and Fails
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February 6, 2010Morose tale of monstrous behavior among the desperate is ably but not expertly assembled. Leo's fearless performance is what stops Frozen from not melting into mediocrity.
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January 23, 2010fb619846742An absorbing although bleak story concerning a desperate single mom struggling to make it after her husband deserts her and their two kids. In order to pay the bills she stumbles upon an opportunity to smuggle people in from Canada to the United States, where a frozen river means... read more
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November 3, 2009a truer film will be hard to find. Every scene breathes real, real people in real situations trying to survive when given a bad hand.
No overglorified speaches, and the only redemption comes from within. The film is gritty and true in so many different ways as a woman whose ... read more -
October 24, 2009Low budget issue movie singled out by dint of its Oscar nominations but saying little new. Granted Leo gives a convincing portrait of a struggling single mother and her developing relationship with a Mohawk is well handled, but the switchback ending is contrived and it all felt a... read more
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August 15, 2009Solid, character driven social drama about two impoverished single moms living on the US/Canadian border who become entangled in the smuggling of illegal aliens into the United States. Top notch independent film-making. Good story, good direction, no frills and GREAT performances.
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July 26, 2009Melissa Leo's role as a trailer park single mum in Frozen River ranked her amongst esteemed company the likes of Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep. This gripping drama about risk, desperation and survival is an undiscovered gem and highly recommended.
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April 28, 2009Down on her luck single mother resorts to smuggling illegals into the U.S. in an effort to make ends meet. Film details a side of life in upstate New York, near the Canadian border, rarely seen. Bleak, understated mood and wintry scenes intensify the grim subject matter effecti... read more
Critic Reviews
February 10, 2009
Mark Bourne, Film.com
August 29, 2008
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle
It moves and it heals, finding hints of redemption in the jagged face of life. Full Review
August 29, 2008
Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail
The miracle of filmmaker Courtney Hunt's tense, carefully understated debut is that it is made better by its few flights of fancy. Full Review
August 29, 2008
Tom Long, Detroit News
Frozen River isn't just a good movie made by a woman; it's a good movie on anyone's terms, one of the year's best. To find hope beneath this ice, in this ugly terrain, is to dream big. Full Review
August 28, 2008
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Made with uncommon skill and assurance, the film never succumbs to rank sentimentality, but it manages to get at the nuances of human relationships. Full Review
August 28, 2008
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
Frozen River, a story of abject desperation, feels so real and immediate that it plays almost like a documentary. Full Review
August 27, 2008
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic
We quickly sense that the director of this film has unusual perception, and that whatever the story and performances turn out to be, she will make the most of them. Full Review
August 22, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Frozen River does what too many independent American movies only pretend to do: Takes you to an unnoticed corner of our country and shows what it's like to actually live there. Full Review
August 22, 2008
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
An impressive first feature by writer/director Courtney Hunt, Frozen River boasts considerable suspense-movie tension and a compelling emotional journey for its foreground characters. Full Review
August 22, 2008
Bruce Demara, Toronto Star
It's fair to say that Hunt's first full-length feature, though uneven at times, holds the promise of better things to come. Full Review
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Frozen River
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