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125 of 130 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost "Everything" is illuminated, December 18, 2005
On very rare occasions, it's a good idea not to follow the book.
Jonathan Safran Foer's cult novel "Everything Is Illuminated" has a wild chronology, and the journey is sprinkled with magical realism and countless flashbacks to minor characters. It COULD be crammed into a film, but it would not be a very accessible one. In fact, it might be almost unwatchable.
Enter actor Liev Schreiber, who chopped out much of the backstory and focused on the "road movie in the Ukraine" storyline. No, it's not like the book. But taken on its own, "Everything Is Illuminated" is a a striking, humorous and poignant film. Schreiber should be proud.
Jonathan (Elijah Wood) has a funny fixation about remembering the past, which includes putting life souvenirs in plastic baggies and taping them to the wall. So his curiosity is piqued when his grandmother tells him of Augustina, a woman who rescued his grandfather during World War II. With only a ring and a photo to guide him, Jonathan travels to the Ukraine to find Augustine.
He's met at the station by Alex (Eugene Hutz), a hip-hop tour guide who speaks his own peculiar dialect, Alex's weird, melancholy grandad (Stephen Samudovsky), and grandad's "seeing eye b*tch." As they search the Ukraine for Augustine, if she is still alive, Jonathan begins to learn about the ways the past infringes on the present -- and a bit about himself as well.
Schreiber apparently decided to adapt "Everything Is Illuminated" when he began to chronicle his own family history, and discovered that it was strikingly similar to Foer's novel. For a beloved cult novel, editing and reshaping is a risky business. But in Schreiber's case, it becomes a whole different animal -- it retains the spirit of the original, if not the sense of history.
While this is Liev Schreiber's directorial debut, it doesn't feel like one. Instead, it feels polished and experienced, with beautiful cinematography that ranges from night skies to a field of dazzling sunflowers. In sepia-toned flashbacks, Schreiber follows the less-is-more rule by merely hinting at the Holocaust's horrors, which is, oddly enough, more effective.
And his script has pathos and anguish, but also plenty of humour (most of it provided by Hutz), such as the scene where he tries to figure out what a vegetarian is, prompting Wood to tell him firmly "Nothing! No meat!"... only to have both men ask what's wrong with him. The only problem is that at times the road-trip format gets a bit precious, and the storyline stalls once or twice.
Elijah Wood gives a remarkably subtle performance as a quiet, slightly neurotic young man who seems to be searching for something in the past to make him complete. Hutz balances him out with the colourful, slightly wonky Alex. He's both comic relief and a sort of wiser older brother for Jonathan. The plot revolves around these two, and they are balanced out well.
Okay, it's not the book. But then again, it really doesn't pretend to be. Instead, Liev Schreiber's "Everything Is Illuminated" is a bittersweet comedy that will leave you with a smile.
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45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful movie; One of the year's best, April 10, 2006
I have not read Jonathan Safran Foer's book "Everything Is Illuminated", and knew nothing of it when sitting down to watch the film adaptation. I only knew that the film starred Elijah Wood and was actor Liev Schreiber's directing debut and it sounded interesting from descriptions I read. So my expectations were pretty modest. I certainly did not expect Schreiber to hit one out of the park his first time up to bat. However, Everything Is Illuminated is indeed a home run and one of the best movies of the year, in my opinion.
Elijah Wood is excellent as Jonathan, a rather odd fellow obsessed with collecting things, particularly as mementos of the past. He travels to the Ukraine and learns a great deal about life, himself, and the future by searching for the past. Also a standout is Eugene Hutz as Jonathan's Ukrainian guide who digs Michael Jackson and wants to be an accountant. Hutz is apparently not an actor, he is the leader of a popular rock band. However, you would never know that he's not an actor, his performance is excellent. The first half of Everything is Illuminated is very humorous, the second half very dramatic. However, the change is tone is very slight. The humor is very funny and the drama is equally potent. The later scenes are very moving and heartfelt without every sinking into cloying sentimentality. The movie from beginning to end is beautifully directed, with wonderful cinematography showcasing the lovely Ukrainian countryside. Schreiber seems to have a very good feeling for visual style. At times it almost reminded of one of my favorite visual stylists: Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
Everything Is Illuminated is a wonderful movie. Well directed, well written, well acted, and with it's heart in exactly the right place. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you think. Very few directorial debuts turn out this good. In 2004, Zach Braff unleashed Garden State and became an unlikely wunderkind director, in 2005 Liev Schreiber has done the same. This is one of 2005's best movies. Don't miss it.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Illuminating!, June 3, 2006
I watched this twice, and I honestly never believed I'd see Elijah Wood's character upstaged, but it happened in this movie. The crazy Ukranian (Alex), played by the delightful Eugene Hutz, stole the show with his humor, unique mannerisms and choice of specific English words, adding depth to an already intriquing, emotionally layered film. If not for the humor, this story might've been too heavy. Whether you feel the ending is sad depends upon perspective. Perhaps the grandfather's burdened spirit was finally released after carrying a secret he kept hidden from his family and his own broken heart? This is another movie that has inspired me to read the book. Fantastic!
Chrissy K. McVay - Author
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