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Avg. Critic Score: 79 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 OK for kids 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

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

  • 100
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    The Visitor, is, if anything, more imaginative and touching than his first. Read full review

  • 90
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    The curious thing about The Visitor is that even as it goes more or less where you think it will, it still manages to surprise you along the way. Read full review

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    A heartfelt human drama that sneaks up and floors you. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    It is one of the year's most intriguing dramas, with a quartet of powerful performances. Read full review

  • 83
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    This audaciously issues-loaded indie drama works, improbably and entirely, on account of the marvelous, often familiar-looking, rarely starring character actor Richard Jenkins and his perfect performance as a stodgy, widowed economics professor. Read full review

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    A compelling and illuminating story of four people who form an unlikely and momentary friendship of considerable depth. Read full review

  • 80
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    Gives viewers a perceptive, deeply personal take on the timeless immigrant narrative, in which the most epic journey is finally one of self-discovery. Read full review

  • 80
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    An unassuming but quietly heartbreaking drama. Read full review

  • 80
    Variety |

    A combination immigrant/resurrection tale, Visitor tilts toward the soulful rather than the political, and could be this year's humanistic indie hit. Read full review

  • 70
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    The Visitor tells of renewal through love. Its song is tinged with sadness, but stirring all the same. Read full review

View more reviews for The Visitor on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ Insightful drama shatters post-9/11 stereotypes.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this thoughtful drama -- which celebrates the diversity of other cultures -- explores the hot-button issue of immigration. There's a little bit of swearing and some drinking, but overall the content is age-appropriate for teens, though very sensitive kids may be upset by the fact that the story doesn't spare the heartbreak that comes when families are separated abruptly. Characters pay dearly for their mistakes, even accidental ones. It's clear that the filmmaker has a strong point of view about U.S. policy since 9/11, but he attempts to be fair and even-handed.
  • Families can talk about the wide range of attitudes toward people who are in the U.S. illegally. How do you think the filmmaker feels about the immigrant characters he has created? What contributions do they make to their adopted country? Does this movie change any of your ideas about people and families from the Middle East and Africa? What about immigration in general? What do you think the movie's final message is?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: Characters generally behave morally and ethically throughout. They exhibit sensitivity and appreciation for racial and cultural diversity. Two leading characters have expired visas and are in the U.S. illegally -- the consequences for that are severe. But despite unyielding, dispassionate government agencies, the individuals in authority are usually shown to be reasonable.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Police are harsh when they arrest a man in a subway station.
  • sex false0 Sex: Not an issue
  • language false3 Language: Brief cursing in just one early sequence, used to indicate fear and surprise: "what the f--k?," "motherf---er," and "s--t."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Red wine is consumed on several occasions, but never to excess.
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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Dave White

1.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

… obvious, shallow and as subtle as Crash … Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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