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Way Home, The

EMAILPRINTParamount Classics

Way Home, The reviews
63
8.5 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 4 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Foreign

Written by: Jeong-hyang Lee

Directed by: Jeong-hyang Lee

Release Date:
Theatrical: November 15, 2002
DVD: May 6, 2003

Running Time: 80 minutes, Color

Origin: South Korea

Language(s): Korean (with English subtitles)

Summary

RATING: PG for mild thematic elements and language

Starring Seung-ho Yu, Hyo-hee Dong, Eul-boon Kim, Kyung-hyun Min, and Eun-kyung Yim

A film about the innocence and unconditional love that grows between a young boy and his grandmother. (Paramount Classics)

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...

91

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Ellen A. Kim

It's an uncluttered, resonant gem that relays its universal points without lectures or confrontations.

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88

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

Life-affirming story of love, kinship and sacrifice.

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88

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Charming is such an overused, film critic-y designation, but The Way Home is that, and more.

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80

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

The plot of the picture is familiar, but it's realized with such delicacy and affection for the characters that it seems as fresh and warm as its verdant setting.

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80

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

Simple without being slight, and profoundly moving without dipping into mawkishness.

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75

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Director Lee has a true cinematic knack, but it's also nice to see a movie with its heart so thoroughly, unabashedly on its sleeve.

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75

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

If you ever doubted the power and scope of silent film, watch The Way Home. The narrative arc is as broad as any chattering feature, the emotional depth is greater than most, and it's all achieved with virtually no dialogue.

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75

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

A sweet, unabashedly sentimental tale.

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70

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Has inherent sentimental appeal, but Lee balances it with considerable humor and an unblinking eye toward the realities of a primitive way of life.

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70

Variety Derek Elley

Utterly unsentimental but profoundly moving,The Way Home" is a tiny gem from South Korea.

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63

Miami Herald Marta Barber

The film has good actors and enough quirky moments to keep it interesting.

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63

New York Post V.A. Musetto

The film is worth watching if only for Kim, who before this had never seen a movie, let alone acted in one.

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60

The New York Times Dana Stevens

The story, touching though it is, does not quite have enough emotional resonance or variety of incident to sustain a feature, and even at 85 minutes it feels a bit long. The premise, too, is a little thin.

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60

LA Weekly Paul Malcolm

A conventional if appealing tear-jerker, The Way Home would like to grandmother us all.

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60

Film Threat Darrin Keene

It’s not hard to see why The Way Home has become such a hit in its native South Korea. The story is a plaintive moral tale, adding the requisite doses of humour and sentimentality where it’s required.

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58

Portland Oregonian Kim Morgan

There are many merits to the picture -- it's wonderfully shot and boasts a beautiful performance by Eul-Boom, who acts in gestures of subtle dignity and compassion. But it's questionable how we're to take actor Seung-Ho.

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50

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Affecting, even touching, provided you can put up with its sclerotic pace.

50

Austin Chronicle Steve Davis

There’s also something to be said for wanting a little bit more.

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40

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

It's telling that this slice of milquetoast is the first to get picked up by a major studio boutique. Put in the most euphemistic terms possible, the film's banal premise contains "universal themes," meaning that its sentimental clichés translate readily to all continents and cultures.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes

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

Chad S. gave it a7:
The little boy is such an urbanite and possesses so much initial disdain for his unworldly grandmother, we're not quite sure how the old woman won him over. When he throws a temper tantrum over the chicken dinner his grandmother prepared for him straight from the chopping block, I started rooting for a black comedy, in which, as the boy sleeps, the old woman smothers him with a pillow. The kid is a brat and would've remained so if not for the failure of the batteries for his video game. Is that enough motivation for a person to change? Never mind. "The Way Home" is still a good movie, however, because for a while, it rebukes the idea that the old have something to teach the young, a story we've seen in countless films with mawkish results. It's less successful when the boy and old woman start to bond, but Eul-boon Kim is great at merely existing in every scene she's in, and makes this South Korean sleeper a welcome antidote to overtly commercial efforts like "Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War" and "Shiri".

fiona VFP gave it a10:
A marvelous film that you will never forget. Brilliant directing and acting, not much budget but you don't notice. Never boring, always funny and touching. Anyone who's ever cared for their relatives will be overwhelmed by the beauty of the feelings of this film. It's a masterpiece. Surprising it has not received the critical acclaim it deserves. 10 palmes d'Or.

Alex A. gave it a 10:
An absolute gem of a movie. Simple storytelling about a universal lesson - respect and love. The grandmother's face, etched by life, will stay with me forever. A powerful comment about this movie is that it out grossed Lord of the Rings in technology crazy South Korea which means to me that even they are looking for something simpler - a good story with simple acting guided by an understanding director telling us what is truly important in life.

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