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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

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59
We Are Wizards
55
What Just Happened?
89
Man on Wire
85
Slumdog Millionaire
84
Momma's Man
84
Christmas Tale, A
84
Happy-Go-Lucky
83
Trouble the Water
83
U2 3D
82
Tell No One
82
Rachel Getting Married
82
Frozen River
82
Let the Right One In
81
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
79
Stranded: I Have Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains
78
I've Loved You So Long
77
Pray the Devil Back to Hell
76
Betrayal - Nerakhoon, The
75
Pool, The
73
Girl Cut in Two, A
73
Frost/Nixon
72
I Served the King of England
70
I.O.U.S. A
69
Ashes of Time Redux
69
Fear(s) of the Dark
68
August Evening
68
Hunger
67
Black Balloon, The
67
Synecdoche, New York
64
Appaloosa
63
JCVD
63
Eden
63
Changeling
62
Duchess, The
59
We Are Wizards
57
Special
57
Sixty Six
56
Religulous
55
Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The
55
What Just Happened?
54
Battle in Seattle
54
Good Dick
53
RocknRolla
51
Morning Light
50
Breakfast with Scot
47
How About You
47
Choke
46
Dukes, The
43
Tru Loved
43
Gardens of the Night
41
Cthulhu
40
Igor
40
Other End of the Line, The
34
My Name Is Bruce
34
Otto; or Up with Dead People
32
Repo! The Genetic Opera
31
Hounddog
30
Guitar, The
28
Fireproof
27
Lake City
26
House of the Sleeping Beauties
26
Filth and Wisdom
xx
Dostana
xx
Let Them Chirp Awhile
xx
Local Color
xx
Nobel Son
xx
Extreme Movie
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Praying with Lior
First Run Features
MPAA RATING: Not Rated
Starring
Lior Liebling
Praying with Lior asks whether someone with Down syndrome can be a “spiritual genius.” Many believe Lior is close to God -- at least that's what his family and community believe -- though he’s also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration and an embarrassment, depending on who is asked and when. As this moving and entertaining documentary moves to its climax, Lior must pass through the gateway to manhood - his Bar Mitzvah. (First Run Features)
| GENRE(S): |
Documentary
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Ilana Trachtman
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
Theatrical: February 1, 2008
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
87 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
UK |

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...
88
Philadelphia Inquirer
Carrie Rickey
Apart from its intriguing religious implications, the film is also a compelling look at the family, community and congregational pillars that support Lior.

75
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Scott Tobias
Intimate, moving documentary.

75
Chicago Tribune
Maureen M. Hart
Trachtman says she made the film to illustrate the plight of disabled Americans who must contend with houses of worship that lack handicapped access, but her documentary itself isn’t always so sensitive.

75
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman
Though the film gets a bit repetitive, in its moving climax Lior does more than just have his bar mitzvah -- he earns it.

70
Chicago Reader
Andrea Gronvall
Lior is an irrepressible character as he works a room, doing exactly what a bar mitzvah boy should: challenging, instructing, and, in his own way, healing the world.

70
The New York Times
Jeannette Catsoulis
Patiently and delicately, Ms. Trachtman teases out the tricky dynamics of a family dealing with a disabled child.

70
Variety
Dennis Harvey
What makes this involving beyond its subject's slightly freakish fascination is helmer Ilana Trachtman's capturing of a complex family dynamic in which Lior isn't the only intriguing personality.

70
New York Magazine
David Edelstein
Praying With Lior engages us on so many levels it transcends its middle-class Jewish milieu.

63
Boston Globe
Janice Page
There's an honest, unfiltered quality to what you see and hear.

63
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
Trachtman's gentle profile does make for touching viewing, but she leaves too many questions unanswered.

63
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
Thoroughly heartfelt. But though Trachtman alludes to the impact that Lior's special needs and local fame has had on his family, she seems uninterested in exploring the larger history of beliefs and traditions concerning mentally challenged people and their closeness to God.

60
Village Voice
Julia Wallace
Trachtman’s movie is not technically accomplished--the camerawork is run-of-the-mill, the structure is rambling--but it’s redeemed by the deliciously complex, practically Balzac-ian family at its center.


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