|
New This Week
Critics & Publications
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search
Upcoming Release Calendar
Awards & Bests By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Film In Our Forums
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Darfur Now
Warner Independent Pictures
MPAA RATING: PG for thematic material involving crimes against humanity
Starring
Don Cheadle,
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
John McCain,
Adam Sterling,
Musa Sharif,
Sheikh Ahmed Mohamad Abakar,
Jason Miller,
and
Pablo Recalde
Darfur Now is a story of hope in the midst of one of humanity's darkest hours--a call to action for people everywhere to end the catastrophe unfolding in Darfur, Sudan. In this documentary, the struggles and achievements of six different individuals from inside Darfur and around the world bring to light the tragedy in Sudan and show how the actions of one person can make a difference to millions. (Warner Independent Pictures)
| GENRE(S): |
Documentary
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Ted Braun
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Ted Braun
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: May 27, 2008
Theatrical: November 2, 2007
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
99 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |
| LANGUAGE(S): |
Fur / Arabic / English |
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 Tribune
Kelley L. Carter
This is the kind of film that doesn’t end after the credits roll, and it’s a gold-star example for what a documentary should do: inspire.
88
TV Guide
Ken Fox
More than any previous film on the subject, Braun's documentary offers an answer to a common question, perfectly phrased and answered by Cheadle himself: "What can I do? More than nothing. A lot more than nothing."
83
Portland Oregonian
Marc Mohan
If the presence of Cheadle and his handsome pal George Clooney can entice otherwise resistant viewers to learn about the ongoing travesty in western Sudan, then Darfur Now has done its job.
83
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
The kind of movie you're glad somebody had the guts to make, but you don't really want to endure.
75
San Francisco Chronicle
Peter Hartlaub
Instructive as a portrait of activism.
75
Miami Herald
Connie Ogle
Despite the fact that the film is not graphic, you won't want to watch Darfur Now over dinner with your family. But you probably should anyway.
75
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
Slick, impassioned, and guardedly upbeat, Ted Braun's film is a morale booster aimed at US audiences rather than the 2.5 million displaced Sudanese tribespeople whose villages have been destroyed and families slaughtered. That we need a pick-me-up more than they do is pathetic, but there you are.
75
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
It is not a compelling documentary (too much exposition, not enough on-the-spot reality), but it is instructive and disturbing.
75
USA Today
Claudia Puig
By showing the struggles and efforts of about half a dozen people, it puts a human face on the tragedy.
70
Chicago Reader
J.R. Jones
Effective advocacy film about the genocide in Darfur.
70
Washington Post
Ann Hornaday
See Darfur Now, and you won't read the daily news the same way again.
70
The New York Times
Stephen Holden
What Darfur Now offers is a collective vision of actions, small and large, taken on many fronts, to end the crisis. The movie is a quiet, methodical call to action.
70
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
Attempts to both explain the situation to audiences and offer some reason to hope for the future. It's an almost impossible task, and though the film does better than anyone might expect, its success is not complete.
70
New York Magazine
David Edelstein
The depressing subtext is that even with detailed proof of ongoing genocide, it takes movie stars to get to the movers and shakers, and to get worthy movies like this one into theaters.
67
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman
The film gets a little ''We can fix this!'' inspirational for a chronicle of such staggering darkness.
67
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Keith Phipps
It's a heartbreaking tale, a sliver of a tragic history still unfolding, but one that Braun largely leaves others to document.
63
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
A disquieting, and somewhat disjointed, call to arms, Theodore Braun's heartfelt documentary is undeniably important. But it may not be quite focused enough to ignite the passion he so clearly wants his audience to feel.
50
Village Voice
Nick Pinkerton
If you evaluate Darfur Now against the goals it sets for itself--as a stirring call to action--it must be considered lacking.
50
New York Post
Kyle Smith
The documentary Darfur Now proves that - no matter how im portant the subject matter - following various people around with a camera doesn't necessarily make a film.
50
Austin Chronicle
Toddy Burton
For all the film’s rallying efforts, its meandering structure and absence of a central driving character results in a film about genocide that is, as unbelievable as it sounds, kind of boring.
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Stephen Cole
Theodore Braun's work may well reach and convert one thousand more Adam Sterlings. Here's hoping it does. There is, however, a difference between a worthy cause and a worthy film.
 The average user rating for this movie is 6.5 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Discuss this movie in our forums |
|
