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Off the Map
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 28 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 22 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by: Joan Ackermann (also play)
Directed by: Campbell Scott
Release Date:
Theatrical: March 11, 2005
DVD: August 9, 2005
Running Time: 105 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for nudity and thematic elements
Starring J.D. Hawkins, Joan Allen, Amy Brenneman, Valentina de Angelis, Sam Elliott, J.K. Simmons, Kevin Skousen, and Jim True-Frost
Across the ancient high desert landscape of northern New Mexico, an extraordinary family embarks on a lyrical journey of self-discovery that reveals unexpected moments of grace and the unpredictable but enduring nature of love. In Campbell Scott's Off the Map, the poetry of a time and a place marked by simplicity comes into full bloom. (Manhattan Pictures International)
Also On Metacritic
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
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...
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
Scott has the courage to let the imaginative story unfold at its own leisurely pace, and it's not surprising that the acting is excellent, considering that he's among the very best American screen actors.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
One of those sweet, intelligent, nicely made films.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Off the Map is visually beautiful as a portrait of lives in the middle of emptiness, but it's not about the New Mexico scenery. It's about feelings that shift among people who are good enough, curious enough or just maybe tired enough to let that happen.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
Rambles without apparent purpose, and yet it blooms in emotional impact as it goes.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
The movie's sense of place is hypnotic, but there's more to it than gorgeous images -- Campbell Scott's astute direction; Joan Allen's beautifully laconic performance; a sense of lively, if occasionally pretentious, inquiry into the wellsprings of art.
Washington Post Desson Thomson
There's a collective scintillation about its rich, distinctive characters, narrative serendipity and ineffable magic.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jack Mathews
Perhaps the most evocative movie of the new year, Campbell Scott's Off the Map, moves at the pace of a Southwestern sunset and ends before you're quite ready to let it go.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone Peter Travers
The funny and heartbreaking Off the Map, directed with a poet's eye and a keen ear for nuance by Campbell Scott, resonates with something rare in today's movies: simplicity.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
This is a character study more than a forward-moving drama, plopped down with exquisite photographic care in a beautiful New Mexico desert, and starring good actors who make a feast of their flavorful roles.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
Directed with an easygoing grace by Campbell Scott, has the feel of a coming-of-age novel.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
The people are just a little too calculatedly quirky in Off the Map, an otherwise engaging comedy.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
It's well-written, well-cast and skillfully directed in every scene, and, at the same time, it doesn't come together with enough impact to be hugely memorable.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Stephen Holden
With a director, screenwriter and star who have deep roots in the theater, Off the Map is more than anything an actor's film.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano
It takes a rugged survivalist mentality to sit through 108 minutes of Off the Map, a self-consciously loopy and mystical drama about a family that lives off the map, off the grid, off the land and mostly off their meds in the mangy desert of New Mexico.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Patrick Z. McGavin
The plot is minimal, but the film is essentially an acting showcase. Allen is excellent.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Don R. Lewis
Any minor flaws Off the Map has are easily forgiven by great acting and beautifully shot landscapes. Campbell Scott does a great job of adapting a stage play (by screenwriter Joan Ackerman) to film as well.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
Off The Map feels peculiar and remote, strangled by an air of arty disengagement. The most vivid characters are the earth and the sky, and they both give stellar performances.
Read Full Review >Variety Todd McCarthy
Campbell Scott's latest foray behind the camera most excels as a subtly observed study of how the dynamics within a close-knit family can shift over time.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman
Ultimately the film manages a warm, offbeat appeal despite its flaws, and it has real heart.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson
Simmons plays it understated, conveying a sad-sack quality that's more relatable than Charley's irrational catatonia. The movie should have been about him instead.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
Surprisingly, it works: The overwhelming natural expanse of the New Mexico desert is perfectly balanced by the psychic space Charley and Arlene create - the space where all the real action takes place.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
One of those American independent films with two chief points to recommend it: the earnest good will of its creators and its determination to be unlike any studio film.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
A beautifully acted if fairly poky coming-of-age story.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
It's a disconnected, implausible story that aims for a tone of magic realism and falls short on both counts.
Read Full Review >Village Voice J. Hoberman
Were it not so soporific, Off the Map could easily drive you off your nut.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
Its story meanders and doesn't build, and the pace is deadly.
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 22 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Charles M. gave it a9:
A little slow paced but a terrific cast and great scenery make this a treat. Joan Allen is as usual, superb as is Valentina de Angelis. Well done.
Dan B. gave it a9:
Really enjoyed the characters. A lot like Station Agent in that way.
Linda D. gave it a6:
I wanted to like this movie more than I did. The scenery was beautiful, but several times the filming of it got in the way of the story. I've always liked Sam Elliott, but his performance here didn't move me at all. I would have preferred to see a different actress playing Bo. I could never move from being an observer to being 'in' the movie. A fine try, a good story, but overall, disappointing.
Chad S. gave it a9:
Whenever I think of home-schooled children, my mind inevitably leads back to ESPN's coverage of the 1997 Scripps-Howard Spelling Bee, and its champion Rebecca Sealfon." "Euonym. E! U! O! N! Y! M! EUONYM!" Bo (Valentina de Angelis) is the sort of neurotic, but extremely bright and percocious girl, I imagine the inspiration behind Myla Goldberg's "Bee Season", and an episode of "South Park" might be like at home. The success of "Off the Map" falls upon de Angelis' ability to be neurotic without annoying us, and she plays her scenes beautifully opposite Joan Allen and Frozen Caveman, I mean, Sam Elliott. As for the IRS man, I think he's the "Taxman" from "Rubber Soul". Written by George Harrison, J.K. Simmons, so happens to be playing a character named George. "Eleanor Rigby" follows the Harrison track, and the lyric "all the lonely people where do they all come from," really fits William Gibbs (Jim True-Frost). This is a ridiculous analysis, but an IRS agent that can paint is a ridiculous notion to begin with.
Larry G. gave it an8:
I was ready to dismiss this as a "flower-child redux" retrospective of some sort, and was prepared to walk out. I'm glad I didn't. Some of the characters are improbable (take the IRS agent, please), but this gouache of a movie actually "works". Quel surprise!!
Anita W. gave it a10:
I thought this movie was wonderful and the acting was superb. It's something that should really be experienced rather then explained. Since I've seen it, it's been on my mind every day and I wish I could see it again. Being new to the world of independent movies I don't know if it will available for purchase. If not I will be truly disappointed.
william c. gave it a10:
Just hope sam continues his acting career for a long time to come.
