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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Fear and Trembling

EMAILPRINTThe Cinema Guild

Fear and Trembling reviews
75
7.7 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 17 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 13 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy  |  Foreign

Written by: Alain Corneau (scenario)
Amélie Nothomb (novel)

Directed by: Alain Corneau

Release Date:
Theatrical: November 19, 2004
DVD: September 6, 2005

Running Time: 107 minutes, Color

Origin: France / Japan

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring Sylvie Testud, Kaori Tsuji, Taro Suwa, Bison Katayama, Yasunari Kondo, Sokyu Fujita, Gen Shimaoka, Heileigh Gomes, and Eri Sakai

Amélie, a dreamy and romantic young Belgian woman, arrives in Japan to begin work as a translator for the giant Yumimoto Corporation. For Amélie, who spent her childhood in Japan, this is a dream come true. But unfamiliar with the customs of the Japanese workplace, she commits a series of cultural missteps and is singled out as a deviant within the company. Unable to stop her downfall, Amélie suddenly stumbles upon her own extraordinary means of liberation. (Cinema Guild Theatrical)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

San Francisco Chronicle G. Allen Johnson

Hilarious.

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90

LA Weekly Scott Foundas

Testud, who learned to speak Japanese phonetically for the role, is nothing short of sublime, her expressive face morphing from tear-stained frustration to slaphappy delirium with the speed of lightning flashing across the Tokyo sky.

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88

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Hilarious from first frame to last.

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88

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Amelie is utterly charming. And so, too, is the film.

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80

Washington Post Curt Fields

This quietly odd and hilarious tale is a bit like a Japanese version of the popular BBC comedy series "The Office" or perhaps the "Dilbert" comic strip at its peak.

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80

Variety Lisa Nesselson

Classy, funny cross-cultural adventure is Alain Corneau's most accomplished and entertaining film since 1991's "Tous les matins du monde."

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80

The New York Times Dana Stevens

Mr. Corneau, an eclectic director with a mildly perverse sensibility, turns the conflict of cultures into a psychodrama that is at once lighthearted and intense.

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80

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

A feverishly compelling film that doesn't force-feed its ideals to its audience.

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80

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Fascinating oddity.

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75

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

May be a sardonic view of Japanese corporate culture, but that's not all it is. The movie is also subtly sexual and erotic, despite the fact that every scene takes place in the office and there is not a single overt sexual act or word or gesture or reference.

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75

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

With the exception of Amelie's voiceover narration in French, Fear and Trembling is entirely in Japanese. And the Japanese cast is superb.

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75

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

A marvelous cross between "Secretary" and "Lost in Translation."

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70

TV Guide Ken Fox

A sleek and sublimely deadpan comedy of Japanese corporate manners.

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70

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

A dark comedy that reveals the stultifying rigidity of Japanese office life - which the film persuasively suggests endures to this day.

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63

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

As wonderful as Testud is, her character doesn't make much sense.

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63

Miami Herald Marta Barber

The events in this film take place in the 1980s. Let's hope working conditions in Japan have "westernized."

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40

Village Voice David Ng

A culture-clash comedy that takes the notion of Japanese otherness to ludicrous extremes.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Val G gave it a10:
This movie is very, very funny if you are familar with Japanese culture ... or if you are aware that differences exist between cultures. The actions of the company employees are not be typical for a Japanese company but it is this extreme protrayal of their actions which keep you laughing at the absurdity. A great companion to Lost in Translation.

jack gave it a3:
The movie has a theme that could be good (cross cultural confusion). It's supposed to be a satire, but the situations are brought to such an extreme that they become silly. One silly and unbelievable episode is piled upon another until it all becomes a tedious ordeal. Why in the world would a cultivated woman allow herself to be put into such demeaning and embarrassing positions rather than just quit the damn job? What's so funny about humiliation. Is this really supposed to be a study in masochism?

Claudiaw V. gave it a10:
I think this movie is absolutely amazing, not only for the entertainment value but also from the lesson that can be learned from it. Sometimes being yourself can cause problems in unfamiliar territory.

Peter Q. gave it a10:
A funny, endearing, intelligent movie! Don't miss it.

T S gave it a3:
Too weird and unbelievable to be funny. The jokes (if any) were strained and directed to an audience that knew nothng about Japan, but felt they did on pretense. Sylvie Testud did a decent job on the language!

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