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49
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71
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56
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56
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93
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27
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47
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56
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93
WALL-E
82
Dark Knight, The
73
Kung Fu Panda
72
Ghost Town
71
Tropic Thunder
70
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
67
Bolt
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
64
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
63
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, The
63
Burn After Reading
61
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
60
Traitor
59
Role Models
58
Express, The
58
Quantum of Solace
58
City of Ember
57
Secret Life of Bees, The
57
Body of Lies
57
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
57
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
57
Flash of Genius
56
Twilight
56
W.
56
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
55
House Bunny, The
54
Get Smart
53
Quarantine
53
Rocker, The
53
Lucky Ones, The
52
Longshots, The
51
Mamma Mia!
49
Sex Drive
49
Family That Preys, The
49
Soul Men
47
Swing Vote
47
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
46
Lakeview Terrace
45
Blindness
45
Pride and Glory
43
Eagle Eye
43
Meet Dave
43
Death Race
41
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
39
Nights in Rodanthe
37
Miracle at St. Anna
36
Space Chimps
36
Righteous Kill
36
Fly Me to the Moon
35
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
35
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
35
Mirrors
34
My Best Friend's Girl
31
Max Payne
28
Haunting of Molly Hartley. The
27
Women, The
26
Babylon A.D.
24
Bangkok Dangerous
20
American Carol, An
19
Saw V
15
Disaster Movie
15
College
xx
Australia
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64
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69
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62
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84
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54
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75
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xx
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66
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56
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55
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50
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61
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43
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62
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49
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47
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46
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84
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41
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81
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62
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46
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xx
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46
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57
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61
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85
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84
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84
Christmas Tale, A
84
Ballast
84
Momma's Man
84
Happy-Go-Lucky
83
Trouble the Water
83
U2 3D
82
Tell No One
82
Frozen River
82
Rachel Getting Married
81
Let the Right One In
81
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
80
Encounters at the End of the World
79
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79
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79
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78
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78
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77
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75
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75
Betrayal - Nerakhoon, The
74
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73
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73
Obscene
73
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72
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72
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70
I.O.U.S. A
69
Ashes of Time Redux
69
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69
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68
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67
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67
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66
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
66
Elegy
66
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64
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64
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64
Appaloosa
64
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63
JCVD
63
Eden
63
Man Named Pearl, A
63
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62
Changeling
62
Kabluey
62
Duchess, The
62
Mister Foe
62
Baghead
61
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61
Brick Lane
61
Universe of Keith Haring
59
Nights and Weekends
59
We Are Wizards
58
Splinter
57
Towelhead
57
Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela, The
57
Sixty Six
56
Special
56
Save Me
56
Religulous
56
Bottle Shock
55
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55
What Just Happened?
55
Ping Pong Playa
54
Humboldt County
54
Battle in Seattle
54
Good Dick
53
RocknRolla
53
Allah Made Me Funny: Live in Concert
52
First Basket, The
52
Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived
51
Morning Light
50
Breakfast with Scot
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
47
How About You
47
Choke
46
Choose Connor
46
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46
Dukes, The
45
Shoot on Sight
44
Henry Poole is Here
43
Call and Response
43
Tru Loved
43
Gardens of the Night
41
Johnny Got His Gun
41
Cthulhu
40
Igor
40
Other End of the Line, The
40
Passengers
37
Forever Strong
34
Otto; or Up with Dead People
33
My Name Is Bruce
32
Repo! The Genetic Opera
31
Hounddog
30
Guitar, The
28
Fireproof
27
House of the Sleeping Beauties
26
Everybody Wants to Be Italian
26
Filth and Wisdom
25
Lake City
xx
Dostana
xx
Phoebe in Wonderland
xx
All of Us
xx
Matador, The
xx
Billy: The Early Years
xx
Roadside Romeo
xx
B.O.H.I.C.A.
xx
Eden Lake
xx
Just Buried
xx
Beer for My Horses
xx
Mary
xx
Lower Learning
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Whale Rider
Newmarket Film Group
FILM:
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for brief language and a momentary drug reference
Starring
Keisha Castle-Hughes,
Rawiri Paratene,
Vicky Haughton,
Cliff Curtis,
Grant Roa,
Mana Taumaunu,
Rachel House,
and
Taungaroa Emile
A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill her destiny. (South Pacific Pictures)
| GENRE(S): |
Drama
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Niki Caro
Witi Ihimaera (novel The Whale Rider)
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Niki Caro
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: October 28, 2003
Video: October 28, 2003
Theatrical: June 6, 2003
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
105 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
New Zealand / Germany |
AGF People's Choice Award, 2002 Toronto International Film Festival; World Cinema Audience Award, 2003 Sundance Film Festival; Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature (tie), 2003 San Francisco International Film Festival

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...
100
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
The genius of the movie is the way is sidesteps all of the obvious cliches of the underlying story and makes itself fresh, observant, tough and genuinely moving.

100
Washington Post
Ann Hornaday
One of the best performances -- and movies -- of the year so far.

90
Chicago Reader
Fred Camper
Utterly fresh and beguiling.

90
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
Evokes its spirituality with deft strokes and wonderful humor.

90
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
A substantial film of unexpected emotional force. And when at a certain point it seems to slip the bonds of this world and take a leap of faith into an almost mythological dimension, it breathlessly takes us along for that memorable ride.

90
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
Seduces us with its leisurely pace and felicitous details into believing that something miraculous is afoot in a mundane rural community.
89
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
Castle-Hughes and Paratene are nothing short of remarkable in their roles.

88
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
A film of female empowerment that resonates deeply.

88
Philadelphia Inquirer
Carrie Rickey
The rhythms of Whale Rider are hypnotic as the ebb tide, haunting as the song of the humpback sea mammal, bracing as the ocean spray. It's a movie that rewards the patient viewer.

88
USA Today
Claudia Puig
Caro gives the fablesque story -- based on a 1,000-year-old Maori legend -- both a contemporary and timeless quality, anchored by newcomer Castle-Hughes' powerful and haunting performance.

88
Charlotte Observer
Lawrence Toppman
You can say nothing of Castle-Hughes except that she's already a movie star: The camera loves her and we do, too.

88
Chicago Tribune
Mark Caro
One may gripe that the tale at times seems familiar, yet that familiarity is also part of the movie's power: Here's a story from halfway around the world that somehow connects with the hearts of viewers of almost any culture.

83
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Paula Nechak
The real find in this lovely family film is Castle-Hughes, who makes Pai's confusion, emotional fragility and devotion palpable.

80
TV Guide
Ken Fox
what makes Caro's film a future classic is What so many movies geared toward younger audiences lack: a cool and very courageous 'tween heroine whom boys and girls of all ages can admire

80
The Hollywood Reporter
Sheri Linden
The film boasts a terrific newcomer in the lead role, exquisite widescreen photography and a powerful sense of place.

80
LA Weekly
Ernest Hardy
Writer-director Niki Caro, who adapted the screenplay from the novel, has crafted a script replete with both crowd-pleasing touches and subtle but powerful insights into all the characters.

80
Dallas Observer
Gregory Weinkauf
Once in a while a film comes along that is as sound, smart, sweet and significant as can be, and Whale Rider is such a film.

80
The New York Times
A.O. Scott
Wickedly absorbing.

80
Variety
Dennis Harvey
Combines straightforward coming-of-age narrative with Maori mysticism to most engaging effect.

80
Newsweek
David Ansen
While Whale Rider is a doozy of a female-empowerment fantasy, its mercifully free of any feminist smugness.

75
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
An excellent way to teach children that movies don't begin and end with Hollywood blockbusters.

75
Miami Herald
Connie Ogle
There is magic here, enough to make Whale Rider worthy of the audience-choice awards it has earned at film festivals worldwide.

75
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
Like last year's Inuit sensation ''The Fast Runner,'' the Maori drama Whale Rider is based on a folk myth, and it's told with an elemental timelessness that feels like a swan dive into prehistory.

75
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
An inviting international audience-pleaser.

75
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
Story itself is richly rewarding and uplifting - the coming-of-age tale of a girl who must defy the odds to achieve her goals. There's plenty of humor to keep the overall tone light.

75
New York Daily News
Jami Bernard
Pai is resourceful and in harmony with the natural world in a way that will charm and enthrall young viewers.

75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Rick Groen
The Canadian film "Atanarjuat" travelled back to the past to meet an ancient legend on its own ground and treated the tale realistically. Whale Rider whisks its legend up into the present, and then adds a touch of lyricism.

70
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Keith Phipps
Though there's a formula at the film's core, Whale Rider still has the good taste to make that formula go down easy.

50
Baltimore Sun
Michael Sragow
Whale Rider is one long, sensitive downer capped by an uplifting finale. A martyr fantasy that turns victorious -- it's a surefire recipe for arthouse crowd-pleasing.

50
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
By the end, a sense settles in that Whale Rider could have accomplished as much -- and been considerably more powerful -- as a 25- minute short.

50
Village Voice
Michael Atkinson
Like the film, Pai's character is muddily conceived and ill-focused, but the coltish, tremulously delicate Castle-Hughes is a hypnotic camera subject.


The average user rating for this movie is 6.4 (out of 10) based on 156 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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