Paradise Now
User Score
8.5 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 31
  3. Negative: 2 out of 31

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  1. GeorgeM
    Oct 30, 2005
    9
    Powerful, thought provoking drama. This is amongst the best of inernational cinema.
  2. LawrenceB.
    Feb 1, 2006
    9
    The film critic who says this film was not very illuminating leaves me stunned in wordlessness. Depicting real people living under the most unreal circumstances where sane logic is stood on its head. I left the theatre feeling that The vast masses of humanity who have left the Palestinians to suffer in their isolation, had in a former time left the Jews of Nazi-controlled Europe bereft of hope. We, the silent people of the rest of the world, have a share of the responsibility for the crimes committed in the Middle East.… Expand
  3. DaveB.
    Feb 12, 2006
    10
    Excellent movie. Needs to be seen by all people.
  4. RonaldoR.
    Mar 1, 2006
    10
    fantastic expose of life under the zionist rule of israel
  5. Andres
    Mar 19, 2006
    10
    This definetly has Best foriegn film all over it . A beautifully directed and made film.
  6. [Anonymous]
    Apr 13, 2006
    10
    This movie reveals both sides of the conflict in the middle east. Those who find this movie appalling are just people who can't face both sides of the truth.
  7. SaraM.
    Apr 17, 2006
    10
    Startling and moving. It made me laugh. It made me consider what its like to live a life where you never feel free. It also made me find out more about the occupied territory. as a film, its well played, suspenseful, brilliantly paced, beautifully shot - the repeated image of the two guys smoking was very cool - highly recommended.
  8. AmeL
    May 2, 2006
    9
    Aside from good directing this film provides an interesting perspective that needs to be seen. Without going into too much detail it covers both sides of the conflict just enough for the viewers to make their own conclusions. It will make you talk about it after it's done. Highly recommended.
  9. TomM.
    Jan 14, 2006
    9
    A harrowing look at how two young palestinians, made heartrendingly human by director and actors, find themselves propelled toward becoming terrorists. Does not provide solutions to the perplexing horrors of terrorism, but certainly delineates many of the problems which lead to its adoption. A riveting, anguish-laden film.
  10. FarahD.
    Mar 15, 2006
    9
    i thought the movie will turn out to be like any average American film concerned with a sensitive human case especially with the hero's father being an informer but then things worked out differently it says what should be said about the Palestinian cause , deeply touching , sometimes breath_taking never predictable , made with great talent .with a little pit more money it would have been a classic!… Expand
  11. DavidF.
    Dec 23, 2005
    10
    No violence, yet the violence for decades upon the the people and the land of Palestine is ever-present. The film has no incidental music only the soundtrack of a people horrified by what the world allows to happen to them; thus, no paradise without music. The music has died in Palestine; the US, via the UN and Israel, killed it. The rating : PG-13 "mature thematic material and brief strong language" is absurd. Everyone has to see this expulsion of indigenous people off their land, out of their homes, and into the living death of refugee camps as the holocaust of our time. School age children have to see this film to begin to understand. Paradise Now has meaning about love, heart, and violence much deeper than most people can or will see. Most of the reviews from the usual critics reek with shallow stupidity, ignorance, and emptiness. The 1000 words that have flowed from my hand, head, and heart are forthcoming herein when I return to my home base. Conclusion: suicide bombing got the attention of the world and it worked in 1958 to help Algerians evict the murauding French from Algeria.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Phil Hall
    40
    Filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad, who helmed the excellent "Rana's Wedding," missed the boat on this one. He may have hoped to give a human voice to the suicide bombers, but instead he gave them a misfired movie.
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  2. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    70
    The terseness of a thriller, the clarity of a documentary, and a mixture of high drama and low humor.
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  3. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    75
    Shot in the West Bank, the film radiates authenticity. Even when he plays the action like a thriller, Abu-Assad is in search of a deeper truth.
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