GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Film

Upcoming Release Calendar
Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Film In Our Forums

 

Wide Releases

sort by name sort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

 

Limited Releases

sort by name sort by score

67 $9.99
75 24 City
66 Adoration
74 Afghan Star
48 Alien Trespass
56 American Violet
82 Anvil! The Story of Anvil
57 Away We Go
81 Beaches of Agnes, The
62 Big Man Japan
28 Big Shot-Caller, The
78 Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story, The
55 Brothers Bloom, The
82 Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country
xx Call of the Wild
63 Cheri
62 Cherry Blossoms
63 Dead Snow
65 Departures
18 Downloading Nancy
58 Easy Virtue
70 End of the Line, The
77 Every Little Step
64 Examined Life
80 Food, Inc.
38 Gigantic
56 Girl from Monaco, The
67 Girlfriend Experience, The
87 Gomorrah
89 Goodbye Solo
63 Great Buck Howard, The
79 Harvard Beats Yale 29-29
xx Home
82 Hunger
91 Hurt Locker, The
16 I Hate Valentine's Day
81 Il Divo
54 Is Anybody There?
71 Jerichow
58 Julia
74 Lemon Tree
36 Life is Hot in Cracktown
40 Limits of Control, The
42 Little Ashes
64 Lymelife
50 Management
57 Merry Gentleman, The
66 Moon
35 New York
62 Not Forgotten
xx Offshore
78 O'Horten
64 Outrage
40 Paris 36
54 Pontypool
71 Pressure Cooker
52 Quiet Chaos
83 Revanche
67 Rudo y Cursi
86 Seraphine
65 Sex Positive
70 Shall We Kiss?
77 Sin Nombre
59 Sleep Dealer
74 Song of Sparrows, The
54 Stoning of Soraya M., The
82 Sugar
84 Summer Hours
61 Sunshine Cleaning
28 Surveillance
42 Tennessee
63 Tetro
64 Throw Down Your Heart
80 Tokyo Sonata
63 Tokyo!
70 Tony Manero
74 Treeless Mountain
88 Tulpan
74 Two Lovers
83 Tyson
83 U2 3D
60 Under Our Skin
69 Unmistaken Child
69 Valentino: The Last Emperor
22 What Goes Up
45 Whatever Works
57 Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

 



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

Keeper: The Legend Of Omar Khayyam, The
Guide Company Films Inc.

Keeper: The Legend Of Omar Khayyam, The reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 43 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.0 out of 10
based on 12 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 12 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: PG for violence and a scene of sensuality

Starring Vanessa Redgrave, Moritz Bleibtreu, Rade Serbedzija, Bruno Lastra, Christopher Simpson, Adam Echahly, and Marie Espinosa

This historical epic tells the story of a contemporary boy living in America who uncovers a secret connection to the Great Omar Khayyam, 11th Century Persian Mathematician, Astronomer, and Poet of the famous "Rubaiyat."


GENRE(S): Adventure  |  Drama  |  Family/Kids  
WRITTEN BY: Belle Avery
Kayvan Mashayekh
 
DIRECTED BY: Kayvan Mashayekh  
RELEASE DATE: Theatrical: June 10, 2005 
RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

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...

80
Film Threat Merle Bertrand
Gleaming like a well-polished magic lamp on a vibrant Persian rug, The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam showcases Arabian/Muslim culture at its best and brightest.
Read Full Review
70
Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust
There is nothing extraordinary about the filmmaking, but Mashayekh's old-fashioned commitment to his and co-writer Belle Avery's story creates an overall satisfying experience.
Read Full Review
63
Boston Globe Ty Burr
A vanity film refreshingly lacking in vanity.
Read Full Review
63
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
While sumptuously beautiful, the film is often stilted and undermined by some painfully amateurish performances that no good intentions can smooth over.
Read Full Review
63
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
The time-traveling is a little awkward, and a mawkish turn of events feels forced and unnecessary.
Read Full Review
50
LA Weekly Scott Foundas
Though the story hardly lacks for event as it traces Khayyam's ascension from the peasantry to the royal court, the period costumes and sets look to be on loan from Medieval Times, as do most of the actors, and the boxy, harshly lit compositions make everything feel even more cardboard.
Read Full Review
50
San Francisco Chronicle Jonathan Curiel
Rough around the edges, it's still a formidable movie.
Read Full Review
40
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
The wraparound storyline is unnecessary and continually interrupts the vastly more interesting story of Khayyam's history.
Read Full Review
40
Variety Joe Leydon
Lofty ambitions and unaffected sincerity are not quite enough to sustain The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam, a reverentially pokey drama that plays less like a conventional movie than a lengthy series of hagiographic historical tableaux.
Read Full Review
30
The New York Times Lawrence Van Gelder
That "The Keeper" was made by a novice is evident in the visible seams between the present-day narrative and the flashbacks; the whole thing plays like a loopy amalgam of stilted costume picture and after-school special.
Read Full Review
30
Washington Post Desson Thomson
The script's a plodder, and the acting's unbearably stilted. The movie's intentions are like the starry constellations that inspire the eponymous hero: out of reach.
Read Full Review
25
New York Post V.A. Musetto
The writing, acting and direction are so amateurish that the only thing you'll care about is escaping the theater.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Glenn J. gave it a9:
For every parent who wants their child to know that our civilization was helped through the brilliance of others. For every teacher who wants their students to learn to respect other cultures.

Darya T. gave it a10:
At the beginning I just followed my friends to support the independent film industry. After I watched it for the first time, I felt in love with the movie. I am a detail oriented person and love to watch movies, which keeps you busy to catch very small details and Kayvan packed it with so many details. After the show he added much more details to it by explaining about the cast and all the background thoughts, actions, struggles. This made me to go back twice to see the movie. For a film without Hollywood support, it was amazing to see such a perfection. To me Kayvan is a very talented young director and soon he will be very successful in his profession. I have a great respect for the people who are fighting for their passion! Thanks Kayvan & Co. You will have always my support!

Eiman Z. gave it a10:
A very well made movie. I commend Mr. Mashayekh and his moviemakers for creating such a well made movie. For a director's first film, this was impressive. I hope there will be more to come.

Majid B. gave it a10:
Takes you on amazing journey and delivers with a touching epic story. For a film of this magnitude to be Kayvan's first big screen is profoundly astonishing.

Gloria H. gave it a10:
The visual beauty of the costumes and the settings alone would be enough to make it well worth seeing. The film has an authentic feeling and true to life intimacy of the family scenes. I say Bravo!

Judy gave it a9:
This is what we think of as the triumph of the American entrepreneurial spirit. Strength, persistence, passion in the effort all show.

Claire A. gave it a10:
A great movie!! Everyone should see it.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this movie in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: iPhone 3G | Fantasy Football | Moneywatch | Antivirus Software | Recipes | E3 2009

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use