Crossing OverMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 38 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Crossing Over is so eager to go for the emotional jugular that it never quite forges an enlightening point of view. Read full review

  • 63
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Kramer takes on a hot, unwieldy topic in Crossing Over -- the dream that immigrants have of U.S. citizenship and the nightmare of achieving it, especially with shortcuts. I'm sure Kramer will be picked to pieces for trying something while Hollywood crap climbs the box office ladder. There are all kinds of nightmares. Read full review

  • 63
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Some of these stories are fascinating and some are heartbreaking, but together they seem too contrived. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    There is undoubtedly a good movie in the varied experiences of American newcomers. But it would need to involve sagas more urgent and more original. Read full review

  • 40
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    If Mr. Kramer's outrage felt honest, his film would be easier to respect. But time and again, he undermines his own righteousness by pumping up the violence and stripping down his talent. Read full review

  • 30
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    As Crossing Over makes its patronizing points, by way of two-dimensional characters and billboarded plot points, it recalls other, better movies that dealt with the same subjects far more deftly. Read full review

  • 30
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    The film plays like a garish melodrama that reproduces the most ham-fisted, polemical aspects of "Crash." Read full review

  • 30
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    The way the picture dwells almost exclusively on cinematically exploitable elements -- gangbanger crime, prostitution, honor killing, terrorism paranoia -- gives it a sordid patina that even the classy, able thesps can't offset. Read full review

  • 25
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    A mess. Read full review

  • 10
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    Forced, heavy-handed and overdone, it's a pretend serious film that offers crass manipulation in the place where honesty is supposed to be. Read full review

View more reviews for Crossing Over on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Intense immigration drama doesn't live up to its intentions.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this mature drama isn't likely to be on most teens' must-see lists. In the same vein as Traffic and Crash, it attempts to capture the complex nature of immigration to America (both legal and illegal), with desperate characters doing desperate things. While the film presents a nuanced, complex look at the issue, it also contains scenes of blunt sexuality (including partial nudity) and brutal violence (intense shootouts and more). There's also lots of strong language ("f--k," racial epithets, and more), drinking, and smoking.
  • Families can talk about the movie's central issue of immigration. Why do you think this issue is a hot button in the media?
  • How do TV shows and movies typically address the issue of immigration? And why do you think so many people break the law to live in America, risking their freedom and/or their lives?
  • Do you think the immigration process is easier for Caucasian, English-speaking immigrants than it is for people of color? Why or why not? How hard -- and how necessary -- is it for immigrants to adapt their cultural values to fit within the American mainstream?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The movie is full of illegal and unethical acts (bribery, extorion, and much more), all of which have ramifications and consequences that weigh heavily on the minds of those committing them -- or result in their comeuppance.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: Characters discuss terrorism, racism, and religious prejudice, and families are forced to make difficult decisions. Small lies are told in the service of the greater good. On the up side, law enforcement officers choose to go above and beyond the call of duty in the name of decency.
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: Extreme violence, including several graphic shooting deaths (two of the characters killed are a couple in bed after making love). There's also scuffling, some blood and gore, and intense shootouts. Dead bodies are seen.
  • sex false4 Sex: Multiple sex scenes. Female nudity (chest and buttocks) and male nudity (buttocks). Discussions of adultery. An immigration official has an arrangement with an illegal immigrant: She's available to him sexually, and he gets her a Green Card. Some cleavage.
  • language false4 Language: Repeated strong language, including "f--k" and its variations, "Jesus," "Goddammit," "ass," "s--t," "bitch," "c--t," "piss," and more. Also racial epithets like "gook," "sand n----r," "wetback," and "raghead."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Brands that are visible or discussed include Budweiser, Froot Loops, Glock handguns, Photoshop, Crunch gyms, and more.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters smoke cigarettes and drink champagne, hard liquor, and wine. Two characters enjoy what is clearly a joint.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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