Review The Visitor

The Visitor Best Review

This quiet, meditative no-gimmick film is one of the best of 2007.

Professor of Economics Walter Vale (Jenkins in the role of a lifetime) is a lonely, prickly-pear professor who is forced to travel from his Conneticut home to New York city to deliver a colleague's paper. Upon arriving at his NYC apartment, he encounters two foreigners (the equally sexy Haaz Sleiman as the young Syrian man Tariq, and the lovely Danai Gurira as his Senegalese girlfriend Zainab). After a slight altercation, Prof. Vale finds that the two immigrants 'wuz robbed', being rented the professor's apartment by a con man.

Not wishing to turn them into the street, the professor allows them to stay. What follows is such a rich, beautiful human interest film that I will not spoil it--I can only say, buy it and love it. Richard Jenkins, an Illinois native who rather shows it a bit too much in this film, is really quite fine for his 1st starring/leading man role.

Up to the task is is other unknown costar, the wonderful Hiam Abbass as Tariq's beleaguered mother. This film is a powerful political statement, one that encompasses immigration law, idiot 9-11 paranoia, and the heartbreak of losing loved ones all over again, which Prof. Vale experiences here.

It struck me that this film might have been flashier...but why? It didn't need to be, and so many scenes that might have been ruined by over-the-top showboating were performed with tear-inducing élan. There were even a few low-key laughs, deftly placed and quite the right balance of spices to the story.

In the end, this movie is going to stand as an example of the best of this decade; again, I cannot say enough about Richard Jenkins' great performance here, his calm, cool and slightly embittered character literally changing overnight. Not just any actor could do that.

Jenkins, lately of "Burn After Reading" fame, is one of those 'major' character actors whose face you will no doubt recall even if his name rings no bells at all. He's one of the best in the business; my only problem with casting Jenkins in such a low-key film is that he is easily confused with a couple of other character actors. Of course, I cannot NAME a single one of them!

Anyway, get this and study closely. You will learn several things from this film, I guarantee.

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The Visitor Feature

• ISBN13: 0013138000897
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

The Visitor Overview

Hailed as "one of the year's most intriguing dramas" (Claudia Puig, USA TODAY), The Visitor stars Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) in a perfect performance (Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY) as Walter, a disaffected college professor who has been drifting aimlessly through his life. When, in a chance encounter on a trip into New York, Walter discovers a couple has taken up residence in his apartment in the city, he develops an unexpected and profound connection to them that will change his life forever. As challenges arise for his tenants, Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friends, and rediscovers a passion he thought he had lost long ago. The year's first genuine must-see film" (Ann Hornaday, THE WASHINGTON POST) about rediscovering life's rhythms in the most unexpected places

The Visitor Specifications

A deeply moving drama built around longtime character actor Richard Jenkins, The Visitor is a simmering drama about a college professor and recent widower, Walter Vale (Jenkins), who discovers a pair of homeless, illegal aliens living in his New York apartment. After the mix-up is resolved, Vale invites the couple--a young, Syrian musician named Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and his Senegalese girlfriend (Danai Gurira--to stay with him. An unlikely friendship develops between the retiring, quiet Vale and the vital Tarek, and the former begins to loosen up and respond to Tarek’s drumming lessons as if something in him waiting to be liberated has finally arrived. All goes well until Tarek is hauled in by immigration authorities and threatened with deportation. His mother, Mouna (Hiam Abbass), turns up and stays with Vale, sparking a renewed if subdued interest in courtship. But the wheels of injustice in immigration crush all manner of hopes in post-9/11 America. Vale soon realizes his unexpected capacity for anger over Tarek’s plight, and the positive changes to his personal life that emerged from a deep involvement with his friend and Mouna, might be the only legacy he takes from this experience. Writer-director Thomas McCarthy has created a wonderfully measured story about change and renewal, and put it all on the shoulders of Jenkins, a largely unheralded but masterful performer whose time for renown has surely come. --Tom Keogh

Stills from The Visitor (click for larger image)

Beyond The Visitor

On Blu-ray

Soundtrack CD

Also directed by Tom McCarthy

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Customer Reviews

Movie - J. Wilmoth - OKC, OK
I haven't had a chance to watch the movie so don't have a review at this time.



A Sketch Rather Than A Script - Jeff Farrow -
Supposedly THE VISITOR represents a new genre of American film, a less bombastic, technically leaned down movie. If that means employing a very sketchy script, than it certainly applies here.

You've got traumatic events happening bang, bang, bang--but not only does it seem unreal, nobody reacts to them--or when they do react it seems to be either a question of too little, too late; reactions contrary to the character of the person involved, or just downright unbelievable. The situations the characters find themselves in seem equally contrived. In such a format you'd better have strong characterization, or you're in trouble. THE VISITOR is in trouble from the onset and drags on to a less than satisfying--and contrived conclusion.

"Understated," is one thing, but tiring or lacking substance is another.

I liked the potential of the story, liked the actors (REALLY liked Hiam Abbass who played the mother) and enjoyed certain fragments of story line, like when the mother asks the professor about the academic book he is writing and he snaps back to the effect that only other writers would understand his creative process--but here again, he immediately corrects himself. He corrects himself too quickly, I felt. It was his uppity touchiness that I found believable. I know "educated artists" like that. More could have been done with this flash of realism, but it is quickly brushed aside.

I write I like Hiam Abbass because, quite frankly, I found her very attractive physically. She's middle-aged and still very lovely, and must have really been a knockout 20 years ago. I suppose this is sexist, but I'm going for the most positive here.

Unfortunately, I just don't believe most of the movie, it may have been more effective had it been made for television. Nonetheless, it's worth watching if for the little peek behind the facade of Homeland Security.





Hallmark type sentimentality - Vidhu - USA
The movie started off promising but disappointed me completely. It just reinforces stereotypes instead of dispelling them.

I understand it is quite possible for one to take an irrational interest in other people's lives but if I know anything about human relationships this doesn't happen unless both parties are at least cordial with each other. In this case, the black lady (I must say, a drop dead gorgeous black lady because uhm it is a weak movie that just needs an audience on any ground possible) was unnecessarily rude to the professor till the middle of the movie. The (again very good looking) Syrian guy is nice enough but his mum needs a punch on her face for expecting a complete stranger to a) take her to Queens b) take her to a Broadway show c) just treat her like a princess

The characterization was weak. They seemed to be angry for no reason all the time. And worried for no reason. Sure, deportation is cause for worry but their anger and fear were just misplaced. And such Hallmark-type of drama. A university professor misses his flight to take an Arab lady to a detention centre just because she wants to see the area that her son is in (Mind you, her son is not dying.. worst case he us just going to go back to his country). The oh-so pleasant and easy bonding between the black girlfriend and Arab lady just minutes after the Arab lady is surprised to see that her son's girlfriend is "so black". The unnecessary tears. The ridiculous sentimental BS. Argh! I almost hit my head against the wall.

There are far worse horrors in this world than living illegally in America. I understand immigration is a big issue but the movie doesn't highlight the real problems faced by immigrants at all. I had no sympathy for those shown in the movie, so if that was the intention of the director, sorry pal.. did not work.

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