The Book Thief

Name: The Book Thief
Genre: Drama, War
Released: November 8, 2013
Duration: 131 min
Rating: 53
Cast: Ben Schnetzer, Emily Watson, Geoffrey Rush, Hildegard Schroedter, Nico Liersch

2013

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critics

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 161 Ratings

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7.2

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7.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 161 Ratings

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THE BOOK THIEF

Movie Details & Credits

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: November 8, 2013

Starring: Ben Schnetzer, Emily Watson, Geoffrey Rush, Hildegard Schroedter, Nico Liersch, Sophie Nélisse

Summary: While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.

Director: Brian Percival

Genre(s): Drama, War

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 131 min

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Awards & Rankings

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Chicago Sun-Times - Richard Roeper

Nov 14, 2013

This is one of the best movies of the year, featuring one of the most perfect endings of any movie in recent memory. Read full review

New York Post - Lou Lumenick

Nov 7, 2013

Overall, it’s engaging and serves its young audience well — a rare Holocaust movie that doesn’t strain to become Oscar bait. Read full review

Variety - Dennis Harvey

Oct 4, 2013

The Book Thief has been brought to the screen with quiet effectiveness and scrupulous taste by director Brian Percival and writer Michael Petroni. Read full review

The Hollywood Reporter - Stephen Farber

Nov 7, 2013

You may come away more impressed by the intentions than by the achievements. Read full review

Boston Globe - Ty Burr

Nov 21, 2013

The film is unobjectionable, sentimental, and not a little dull. Read full review

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) - Liam Lacey

Nov 7, 2013

Directed by Brian Percival, best known for his work on "Downton Abbey," the film has the similar quality of a well-appointed historical soap opera. Read full review

The New York Times - Stephen Holden

Nov 8, 2013

The Book Thief is a shameless piece of Oscar-seeking Holocaust kitsch. Read full review

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User Reviews

ZenFury

Feb 2, 2014

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. A keeper for sure because some of its messages will always be applicable. Don't let the meager earnings ($568,500) fool you or lousy overpaid critics.

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

FSimmer

Nov 22, 2014

"A Menina Que Roubava Livros" é impressionante. Ótima fotografia, intérpretes impressionantes e uma história de arrepiar. Emocionante e muito bem feito, tiro o chapéu pra essa obra-prima.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

kat267

Sep 30, 2015

I had to read The Book Thief for class and it is one assigned book which was surprisingly enjoyable. The movie was just as enjoyable and followed all the book's key themes very well. The ending is honestly the best scene, the emotions and feelings are almost tangible, and though I cried,I had to read The Book Thief for class and it is one assigned book which was surprisingly enjoyable. The movie was just as enjoyable and followed all the book's key themes very well. The ending is honestly the best scene, the emotions and feelings are almost tangible, and though I cried, it was worth it to see that scene played out. A strong, moving film that I highly recommend.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

bm2759

Mar 9, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. To my surprise this was a nice film which covered a lot of emotional content and giving us a fictional yet believable story of ordinary people in Germany during WW2.

Credit goes to the use of death as the narrator of Liesel's story which was refreshingly different. It enabled the story to be presented in a more pleasant and child-like manner than a typical tragedy of suffering.

One further positive is the effort taken to replicate a believable Stuttgart. Characters spoke realistic sounding German, English with a German accent or a mixture of both. Very few films enable the audience to understand another language whilst also telling a story in their own language. Also the use of real propaganda like posters, school choir songs, outfits, living conditions and public atmosphere all benefit the film and allow us to appreciate it better.

Each of the 5 main characters are all very well acted. Geoffrey Rush nails a caring yet slightly silly father beautifully as does Emma Watson as the tough mother with a big, yet hidden, heart. The standout is Sophie Nélisse as Liesle portraying wonder, innocence, joy, sadness, or empathy with us ease; they definitely chose the correct actress. Nico Liersch as Rudy was solid as light-hearted, joyful best friend of Liesel. Ben Schnetzer as Max portrayed a jew in hiding we've not seen before, i.e. confident, understanding and caring towards those who are keeping him alive, without being frightened , tormented or helpless.

My main criticisms are:

* Mama coming to school to give Liesel good news - why do that and risk being exposed when such news can be delivered at home?
* Bodies of those who died from their homes being bombed looking like people asleep. Surely if the filmmakers go to the effort of having vocal coaches for realistic German accents, then why not also give us authentic looking corpses.
* Max appearing at the end. Where did he go and how did we survive? Not even some dialogue to explain how or why? His appearance lacks any impact upon the audience and lines up too nicely to be believable, i.e. cheap.
* The film skips from sometime in 1943 to 1945 when Americans arrive in Stuttgart. What happened to Liesel in that time? The most interesting part of her story is what happened to her after the town was severely bombed.
* The last 5 minutes of the film was quite rushed where it seemed to hurry up and finish the story without giving many details. I wanted to see a little more of what happens to the characters.
* The ending is beautiful and a positive. However why can't we see how she ended up in Manhattan, New York. And why New York? Of all the places she would have emigrated to surely choosing New York was too cliched. I suspect it was chosen because many Europeans emigrated to the USA and New York is likely where they arrive. Despite being an open-minded and multicultural city it is unrealistic she'd remain there her whole life.

A few small grievances aside this is a film I'd recommend to anyone wanting to see a story of how regular Germans experienced life under Nazi Germany.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Blackthorne20

Dec 1, 2013

I normally read books before watching their film adaptations. My family, however, forced me watch this before I had the chance, so I cannot compare the movie to the book. But judging the movie by itself, it was thoroughly entertaining, mature, and artistic. In my opinion, it is better thanI normally read books before watching their film adaptations. My family, however, forced me watch this before I had the chance, so I cannot compare the movie to the book. But judging the movie by itself, it was thoroughly entertaining, mature, and artistic. In my opinion, it is better than most movies I have seen in quite some time. My favorite thing about it is that it did not need to resort to graphic violence or overly pompous special effects to create a memorable experience. Although the story can be a little too predictable and trite at times, it still delivers a strong impact and generates much sympathy for the characters. I loved the atmosphere; it felt so authentic and harked back to a feeling of closeness with one's family that seems to have been lost in today's society. Overall, this movie is good, not superb, but definitely worth a watch.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

MrMovieBuff

May 13, 2016

'The Book Thief' means well, it's an innocent film depicting a little girl's point of view of the war, so that means we will not be seeing a graphic view of the combat and violence of these horrific events that take place.

Directed by Brian Percival (of 'Downton Abbey'), he adapts the'The Book Thief' means well, it's an innocent film depicting a little girl's point of view of the war, so that means we will not be seeing a graphic view of the combat and violence of these horrific events that take place.

Directed by Brian Percival (of 'Downton Abbey'), he adapts the widely acclaimed novel by Markus Zusak, Percival sets the ideal tone of the movie. The movie focuses on a young girl named Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nelisse) who meets her new foster parents (played by Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson) and tries to get comfortable in her new home. She begins to grow closer towards her foster father as he notices that she collects a lot of books. However, it seems that she is not quite as literate and nor is he, so they develop a sort-of school in the basement of their home and learn how to read.

Later on, we meet a young, Jewish man named Max (Ben Schnetzer) who is a refugee and stays with the family. Liesel develops a friendship with the innocent man, discovering that they share a love for reading. Liesel even runs away to a hidden library somewhere to take some books and read them to Max for comfort. During her journey, she meets a young boy named Rudy (Nico Liersch) who doesn't mind getting into trouble for her, he seems infatuated, and so does she.

This is a warm film, filled with some touching moments and is well acted...it has hints of being the next 'Hugo' (2011), but what does hold it back is its ability to emphasize on the horrors of the war, even though this isn't that kind of film, a lot of things seemed to be glossed over. There is an emotional impact throughout this movie, and it does its job to hold your attention for longer than possible. I guess, at times, it feels empty, almost like opening a shiny wrapped present, but what's inside is a box full of accessories, but not the product itself.

It's a film I wanted to love...but I just admired it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

AlexSoderlund

Jul 7, 2014

This movie is an embarrassing thing. First off, the title, "The Book Thief" doesn't even really apply to the movie at all. She steals books on 2 occasions but that's it. I don't even know what the story is. They're so many events going on and NONE OF THEM ARE IMPORTANT TO THE STORY LINEThis movie is an embarrassing thing. First off, the title, "The Book Thief" doesn't even really apply to the movie at all. She steals books on 2 occasions but that's it. I don't even know what the story is. They're so many events going on and NONE OF THEM ARE IMPORTANT TO THE STORY LINE WHATSOEVER. The book thievery happens in a 15 minute span of the whole 2 hour movie. As a historian, it pains me to view their feeble attempt to cover WW2. The chronology of the war is all screwed up. They had Germans still deporting Jews in 1942, which all deportation had been dealt with. Lezeil and Rudy's fathers had been drafted into the war. Let us take the time to note these two gentlemen are in their late 60s or 70s. Now men like this were drafted into the war, but later in the war like 1944/45. The drafting for these men happens in 41. The movie tries to give the viewer a notion of time passing, BUT ALL THE CHARACTERS LOOK AND ACT THE SAME AS THEY DID IN THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM. All in all this is a pitiful movie, with weak to no apparent story line, pathetic acting, and a time line that went to ****… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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