Train of Life

Boston Globe Jim Sullivan

Another phantasmagorical tale of life among the Nazis, is upon us. This one works much better.

Film.com Henry Cabot Beck

Every bit as reverent as "Schindler's List," and no less successful.

Village Voice Amy Taubin

It's entertainment that never lets us off the hook.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

A fairy tale comedy with the Holocaust as the background, a collision of terror and community, death and beauty.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

More imaginative and responsible than the somewhat similar "Life Is Beautiful."

Dallas Observer Jean Oppenheimer

Far superior to either "Life Is Beautiful" or "Jakob the Liar."

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

A tragicomic Holocaust fable that's by turns silly, triumphant and achingly sad.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Gaily seduces you into its fantasy life, then whacks you over the head with a finale that, intentionally or not, functions as a rebuke to the mad optimism of Benigni's pandering film

The New York Times Stephen Holden

What saves Train of Life from sinking into sudsy Holocaust kitsch is its sustained comic buoyancy.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Less-than-scintillating spin on "Life Is Beautiful."

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Much of the film is frankly ludicrous, but that does little to dispel its overall power and passion.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

A merry, wistful, tear-and-a-smile romp about the Holocaust, of all things.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Too much of the film is not inspired enough in its humor to overcome the queasy feeling that comes from watching a comedy-adventure involving Jews during the Holocaust.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

A misguided exercise - a crude merger of "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Schindler's List" that somehow reminds you of "Hogan's Heroes."

Mr. Showbiz Cody Clark

Even if the antic futility of attempting to get an entire shtetl to pull together in the face of genocide is your idea of a day at the races, don't laugh too hard -- the out-of-nowhere ending will make you choke on every chuckle.