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Way Home, The

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 4 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
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)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database
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...
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Ellen A. Kim
It's an uncluttered, resonant gem that relays its universal points without lectures or confrontations.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jami Bernard
Life-affirming story of love, kinship and sacrifice.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
Charming is such an overused, film critic-y designation, but The Way Home is that, and more.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
Simple without being slight, and profoundly moving without dipping into mawkishness.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Variety Derek Elley
Utterly unsentimental but profoundly moving,The Way Home" is a tiny gem from South Korea.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Marta Barber
The film has good actors and enough quirky moments to keep it interesting.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Paul Malcolm
A conventional if appealing tear-jerker, The Way Home would like to grandmother us all.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Darrin Keene
Its 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 its required.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
Affecting, even touching, provided you can put up with its sclerotic pace.
Austin Chronicle Steve Davis
Theres also something to be said for wanting a little bit more.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
