Special Coverage The Photo IssueThe Must List2008 Fall TV2008 Fall Movies2008 Fall Music
  • --

Credits

Rated: PG-13; DVD Release Date: Mar 21, 2006; Genre: Drama; With: Elijah Wood; Distributor: Warner Independent Pictures

Jonathan Safran Foer's Holocaust-themed debut was the Chosen Book of 2002, so it's only natural that Indiewood was licking its lips. How do you make a time-tripping tale of memory and survival go down easy? Apparently, by tearing out its historical heart — faded photographs and brief flashbacks are meager stand-ins for Safran Foer's bustling shtetl life. The bungled Americanisms (enunciated with gusto by first-timer Hutz) remain intact, and the uncomfortable close-ups and minor-chord melodies (overused as they are) do have some emotional resonance. But Illuminated amounts to a standard road-trip pic with glimmers of wit and wisdom. EXTRAS Wood's mortician-in-the-making may be a keeper of artifacts, but these bonus features aren't all that premium. Missing: a commentary exploring neglected aspects of the novel. In abundance: cartoonish rightly deleted scenes. One clip is a '70s-porn moment between Wood and ''Seeing Eye bitch'' Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.; another lumps together Hitler, Mother Teresa, and George Washington — at a funeral. No joke.


Posted Mar 17, 2006
 

Add Your Comments

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. You must have javascript enabled to submit a comment.
--
Change/Edit your grade
characters remaining