I just can't believe how lovely this movie is. A thought-provoking movie that deals so well with the immigration/deportation process. Heartbreaking. Made me realize how fortunate we are to live in a country people are still willing to risk everything to be a part of.

This movie was excellent. Scott Foundas' (Village Voice) review is totally ludicrous. Excellent acting from all, excellent writing. Richard Jenkins, mainly a character actor, is superb, showing so much thought and emotion with his eyes and face. The actresses playing Tarek's wife and mother are incredible. Alternately funny and touching. Just a wonderful little movie in which I didn't know what would happen next, which is always good. Shows how much can be done with a small budget and no "stars".… Expand

Anyone not touched by this film does not have a heart and soul. Including Damon C below...how sad are you. The predictability of your existence is too boring to detail, and a waste of space on metacritic.

Richard Jenkins is always excellent, and in this feature he's truly come into his own as a movie star and should win Best Actor at the Academy Awards.

Very touching. Loved the emotions exemplified in this film.

This is a perfect film. Loved every minute of it. Beautifully acted and directed. Go see this wonderful movie.

Just a beautiful, elegant film. I wasn't expecting too much from this movie, but by the end, my heart was in my throat, and I had an amazing sympathy for the characters - partly a function of the story, but also because of some amazing acting performances. Richard Jenkins and Haaz Sleiman will be recognized, no doubt, but Hiam Abbass, as Tarek's mother, is spectacular. For any adult male who has a close relationship with his mother (like me!), or for those mothers who remain close with their adult children, this movie will grab you.… Expand

A moving and subtly-told fable about opening one's heart to the beauty of the world. This film will, sadly, be seen by too few people.

Really thought-provoking. Shows why every culture is respected and how all people from different backgrounds can live together in peace.

I've never been felt so lucky, that by chance, I was born here in America. A beautiful movie, one of the few I've ever cried in. I forgot I was watching actors act.

I think this film was especially good on a number of levels. For the certain people in the US giving it a negative score based on "leftist crap": I really hope one day you have a situation where 'humanity' and 'humanism' comes into play in your personal life, and this film comes back into your mind. We're not talking politics here in the general sense, even though of course the film portrays both major sides. I was very impressed with the elegance and above all dignity that comes across throughout the film. The characters are well fleshed out and very believable. Even the characters who some might label the "evil" guys I find sympathy with - the film shows how the System works and even the people with the bad news are just tracking along their rails, as per their job. This movie is both a wake-up call to the average middle class individual stuck in their "life" and yet not actually living it, and also a call to post-9/11 --> we all understand the reason for tightened security, but I really hope we don't lose our humanity in the process. (apologies this wasn't a true review - the lame negative reviews affected me! - the legitimate negatives were fine!)… Expand

The reviews that try to paint this as some sort of "leftist" movie are ridiculous. It's not a political movie by any means and subscribes to no ideology. The film is emotionally honest and masterfully executed. Don't listen to the diatribes trying to politicize this movie. See it and you'll love it.

This movie dares to do what few films do today: it makes you think. It also doesn't take the easy route out like so many Hollywood blockbusters do. There is no heavy message here, no ham-fisted diatribe. The great power in this movie is its subtlety and its heart. Richard Jenkins gives a quiet yet astounding performance. I think this is one of the top ten films of the year.

A lovely, poignant film that touches your heart and your mind. Do not miss this wonderful gem.

I loved it, both funny and touching, staying "real" throughout. I want more and more movies like this, not the crap that Hollywood makes.

Walter Vale(Richard Jenkins) plays the piano, because his late wife played the piano. Quitting the piano; parting ways with the piano itself, in favor of the African drum, living and breathing the drum, as Walter does in "The Visitor", he is saying goodbye to his wife and his bourgeoise lifestyle. Walter's living space is representative of our country, a microcosm. Walter perceives Tarek(Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab(Danai Jekesai Gurira) as intruders when he first encounters the third world couple in his New York apartment. After having second thoughts, he allows them to stay, to be visitors. Soon, Walter and Tarek become fast friends, and soon after Tarek undergoes a Kafkaesque ordeal, Zainab becomes friends with the economics professor, too. For contrast, Zainab, a jewelry-maker, deals with a customer who treats the Senegalese street vendor as if she WAS a visitor. Zainab isn't the visitor; Walter is. That's because Walter doesn't impose a protocol with his new friends. He rides the Staten Island ferry. He escorts Hiam(Mouna Khalil), Tarek's mother, to "The Phantom of the Opera". And most stirringly, he goes underground to perform as a street musician, not to ride the subway. "The Visitor" is a movie about tolerance; tolerance so real, it starts to look like acceptance.… Expand

Easily one of my favorite films in recent years. I have recommended this film countless times and it was equally as good on the second viewing. The blossoming of the professor character, given a new set of influences in his life, was realistic and a captivating story. If only all films had such a brilliant personal portrait as the main theme. Issues of the tragic impacts of illegal immigration are played out effectively, but to me was a side story to that of our professor finding himself.… Expand