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Vitus
Sony Pictures Classics


8.8

based on 19 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 6 votes
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MPAA RATING: PG for mild thematic elements and language

Starring Fabrizio Borsani, Teo Gheorghiu, Julika Jenkins, Urs Jucker, Bruno Ganz, Eleni Haupt, Kristina Lykowa, and Tamara Scarpellini

Vitus is a boy who almost seems to be from another planet: he has hearing like a bat, he plays piano like a virtuoso and studies encyclopaedias at the age of five. It is no wonder his parents begin to anticipate a brilliant future for him. They want Vitus to become a pianist. However, the child prodigy prefers to play in his eccentric grandfather's workshop. He dreams of flying and of a normal childhood. Ultimately, with one dramatic leap, Vitus takes control of his own life. (Sony Pictures Classics)

GENRE(S):	Drama \| Foreign
WRITTEN BY:	Peter Luisi Fredi M. Murer Lukas B. Suter
DIRECTED BY:	Fredi M. Murer
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: November 27, 2007 Theatrical: June 29, 2007
RUNNING TIME:	100 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	Switzerland
LANGUAGE(S):	Swiss German / English

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...

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Vitus, a fizzy domestic fairy tale from Switzerland, gives you a lift, as it revels in the oddball joy of genius as kid power.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

The cast is superb, especially the young actors who portray Vitus; Gheorghiu is a real-life piano prodigy, lending an extra frisson to the intoxicating music that plays throughout the film.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

A gentle fable about how the young boy from Zurich struggles to fit in rather than stand out, Vitus is both a cautionary tale for pushy parents and an endearing, if eccentric, empowerment fantasy for precocious children.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

When the movie becomes pure fantasy, it's impossible to swallow. (No landlord rents an apartment to a 12-year-old with no adult in sight.)

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

Combines complex relationships with a winning style of storytelling.

Chicago Reader Ronnie Scheib

Celebratory, family-friendly fable.

Variety Eddie Cockrell

A natural for kidfests, pic is a fine example of old-fashioned story-telling and also will dance wherever detailed character development and leisurely-paced drama are appreciated.

Village Voice Jean Oppenheimer

Charming Swiss import.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

Its heart is never anywhere but in the right place.

Miami Herald Marta Barber

Deep down, this is a film about childhood dreams and the determination to make those dreams come true. With such a positive message, you can't help yodeling on your exit from the theater.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

"Joshua" is a horror movie that doesn't want to freak you out too much. Vitus freaks you out, but its makers seem to have no idea that it does.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jason Anderson

Nevertheless, Vitus's cool intelligence, knotty narrative and precise performances make it a pleasure to watch even when it sends mixed messages about the true nature of its protagonist.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

A fairly average movie about a very unusual child, Vitus does have an earnest charm.

The New York Times Matt Zoller Seitz

The triumphant musical cues and comic double takes encourage us to cheer Vitus's high jinks as if he were Ferris Bueller's ivory-tickling kid brother.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

The film ultimately swindles its own story.

Chicago Tribune Sid Smith

A Swiss movie that flirts back and forth between the French and German sensibilities at play in that nation.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

A sappy look at the title character, a 12-year-old boy who's a math and music prodigy.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

It is ultimately a simplistic film that will play better to youngsters who wish their grandpas were this cool and to parents who are nostalgic for the kind of exceptional childhood they neither had nor can provide for their own children.

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

Vitus is likable enough and definitely suitable entertainment for young people willing to read subtitles.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.8 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Barbara H gave it a9:
A touching movie. The love the older Vitus has for music, the emotion that shows in his playing is worth watching. I especially liked the scene in the bike park where the music each child is listening to is contrasted against one another. You knew then that there was music in this child that could not be held back. A wonderful way to spend 2 hours!

Arthur K. gave it a9:
Great movie, a bit long. Some scenes drag on.

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Vitus Sony Pictures Classics

Vitus
Sony Pictures Classics