Frozen River

Name: Frozen River
Genre: Drama, Crime
Released: August 1, 2008
Duration: 97 min
Rating: 82
Cast: Charlie McDermott, Melissa Leo, Misty Upham

2008

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 30 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 81 Ratings

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7.9

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7.9	Your Score
7.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 81 Ratings

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Frozen River

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Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: August 1, 2008 | R

Starring: Charlie McDermott, Melissa Leo, Misty Upham

Summary: Frozen River is the story of Ray Eddy, an upstate New York trailer mom who is lured into the world of illegal immigrant smuggling when she meets a Mohawk girl who lives on a reservation that straddles the US-Canadian border. Broke after her husband takes off with the down payment for their new doublewide, Ray reluctantly teams up with Lila,Frozen River is the story of Ray Eddy, an upstate New York trailer mom who is lured into the world of illegal immigrant smuggling when she meets a Mohawk girl who lives on a reservation that straddles the US-Canadian border. Broke after her husband takes off with the down payment for their new doublewide, Ray reluctantly teams up with Lila, a smuggler, and the two begin making runs across the frozen St. Lawrence River carrying illegal Chinese and Pakistani immigrants in the trunk of Ray’s Dodge Spirit. (Sony Pictures Classics)
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Director: Courtney Hunt

Genre(s): Drama, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 97 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Don R. Lewis

It's tough and cold and gives an inside look at poverty in America. Yet the film is also incredibly compelling and intense and I can't think of another film that's this small and powerful. Read full review

100

Roger Ebert

Sometimes two performances come along that are so perfectly matched that no overt signals are needed to show how the characters feel about each other. That's what happens between Melissa Leo and Misty Upham in Frozen River. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

This is a debut feature, though you'd never know it from the filmmaker's commandingly confident style, or from the heartbreaking beauty -- heartbreaking, then heartmending -- of Melissa Leo's performance as a poor single mother who's living her whole life on thin ice. Read full review

Empire Angie Errigo

Original, sad, suspenseful and involving: the kind of work that helps independent American cinema retain its good name. Read full review

Ella Taylor

If there's one thing this movie gets dead right, it's the desperation of impoverished single mothers trying to fend for their children. Read full review

Bill White

Most films about illegal immigration are set on the Mexican border, and Frozen River is free of the stereotypical characters and situations of that familiar setting. It also offers a rare look at modern Native American life, exploring the ambiguity of what it means to say that the laws of the white man cannot be enforced on Indian territory. Read full review

Joe Neumaier

Has moments of honesty, but more often the barren landscape - both outside and inside - drains the emotions out of the film. Read full review

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User Reviews

MarcieLangela

Dec 9, 2011

This is the greatest film I have seen in a long time. How didn't Melissa Leo win the Oscar for this? This is the performance of a lifetime that will hopefully go down as a classic.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

BeaR.

Aug 23, 2008

At last ... a really great movie made in the last few years. (I had given up hope.) The fascinating tale was flawlessly written and directed. It's neither plot nor character driven ... it's both ... as great literature should be. Amazing performances by Leo, Upham, and the kids. A At last ... a really great movie made in the last few years. (I had given up hope.) The fascinating tale was flawlessly written and directed. It's neither plot nor character driven ... it's both ... as great literature should be. Amazing performances by Leo, Upham, and the kids. A beautiful, deadly setting in a frozen winterscape completes the artistic whole. (One reviewer felt the cold made the viewer listless ... what a stupid thing to say!).… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

FredA.

Nov 26, 2008

A stark and stunning look at poverty and prejudice in America, tempered by the gritty performances of the lead actors and their portrayals of people who can still hope and strive, despite their personal fears and suspicions of "outsiders".

0 of 1 users found this helpful

ColinC

Mar 1, 2009

I can see why reviewers and many other people liked this film. It certainly was an interesting look into the lives of people far removed from me. But it was also so bleak that I just felt completely drained at the end of it. Worth checking out if you're into non-commercial fare that I can see why reviewers and many other people liked this film. It certainly was an interesting look into the lives of people far removed from me. But it was also so bleak that I just felt completely drained at the end of it. Worth checking out if you're into non-commercial fare that explores some interesting themes revolving around sad, depressing people and their sad lives. And the look into how modern Indian reservations work, especially in regards to the white man's laws just outside their borders, was truly fascinating.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

nutterjr

Dec 9, 2010

The rule that independent American films have more substance than their Hollywood counter parts is yet again reaffirmed. The weight of the film is carried on the shoulders of the brilliant Melissa Leo who plays the down-ridden, abandoned mother of two, struggling to provide them a betterThe rule that independent American films have more substance than their Hollywood counter parts is yet again reaffirmed. The weight of the film is carried on the shoulders of the brilliant Melissa Leo who plays the down-ridden, abandoned mother of two, struggling to provide them a better life. It is the side of America that is anything but illustrious but yet so true to many.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

aideenm

Jun 28, 2009

I stopped watching this movie after 10 minutes. Although the acting seemed fine, the movie was just too grim to watch with my grandchildren.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

Broyax

Jun 26, 2018

Dans Frozen river, on est dans du Zola et du Hugo à l'américaine et le misérabilisme plein pot, un plein jour de soldes. Ici, c'est la grande braderie de la misère sociale, même qu'ils auraient pu l'appeler "Les Misérables en hiver" qui font passer des migrants pour boucler les fins deDans Frozen river, on est dans du Zola et du Hugo à l'américaine et le misérabilisme plein pot, un plein jour de soldes. Ici, c'est la grande braderie de la misère sociale, même qu'ils auraient pu l'appeler "Les Misérables en hiver" qui font passer des migrants pour boucler les fins de mois...

Ici, les miséreux ont tous une sale gueule et une vilaine peau, y compris leurs mômes... faut dire que manger du pop-corn et boire du jeu d'orange (il est surgelé je présume), ça ne rend pas jouasse. En plus de ça, de tout ça, le film insiste pour mettre les minorités visibles en avant et montrer le flic comme un SS ressorti d'outre-tombe. Et en plus, vous voyez, le flic est implicitement raciste, oui raciste envers les Amérindiens et leur pauvre réserve.

Et puis, l'hiver est rude, un jour il fait -20, un autre -28... et tout le monde est méchant avec les pauvres, personne ne veut leur faire crédit... mais ça, c'est peut-être parce qu'ils n'ont jamais un rond, ces sales pauvres ! vous vous rendez compte, obligés de faire les passeurs pour acheter à manger ! les passeuses plutôt avec la squaw dont l'enfant lui a été enlevé et l'autre toute seule avec son ado et son petit parce que le mari est allé jouer le maigre argent du ménage...

Mais c'est trop horrible. Vraiment trop horrible de montrer ça pendant un film entier parce que moi spectateur de base, j'en ai rien à branler de ces maudits pauvres qui se les gèlent près de la frontière canadienne. Car comme dirait un certain, ça m'en touche une sans faire bouger l'autre. Faites un documentaire, la prochaine fois.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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