The Reader (2008)

the reader (2008) poster 4.5 rating  (4.5/5) romance – drama

Reference: imdb6 | wikipedia12

Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes 59% | Metacritic 58%

The Reader (2008) is a powerfully complex movie, both beautiful and sorrowful, romantic and tragic.

Kate Winslet is within my top 10, perhaps top 5, all time favourite actresses. She is once again fantastic here – playing a compelling character that I simultaneously felt empathy and revulsion for. It’s a sin that 6-time-nominated Kate Winslet has never won an Oscar. She ‘should’ be a shoe-in for best Actress for this performance.

The most poignant line from the movie is ‘It’s not what you think, its what you do that matters’. The surprisingly good newcomer, David Kross convincingly played a naive teen and a mid-20’s law student struggling, years later, with what to think and what to do.the reader (2008) david kross reads to kate winslet on the bed

Ralph Fiennes, playing a character the polar opposite of his most famous role in Schindler’s List (1993). His performance was typically strong but not as memorable as those of Kross and Winslet.

Ebert sums up the essence of the movie well:

“I believe the movie may be demonstrating a fact of human nature: Most people, most of the time, all over the world, choose to go along. We vote with the tribe.”

It’s unfortunate that the primary plot points are revealed in every trailer. I will not reveal them here because the experience would have been much more fulfilling had I not known where the movie was going from the beginning.

 the reader (2008) david kross reads to kate winslet in the bathtub

While terrific, aspects of the ending struck me as somewhat unbelievable. Otherwise this movie would have rated a 5 of 5. I am flummoxed by the poor aggregate review scores at Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. This movie is one of the best films of 2008. There were few dry eyes in my theatre.

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4 Replies to “The Reader (2008)”

  1. Great review! This is a movie I have wanted to see, I am also a pretty big fan of Kate Winslet, not sure if she is in my top 5, but she is up there. This is just all the more reason I will have to get it, oh well now I have something to watch this weekend.rnrnHenryrnIllinois Real Estate License

  2. Great review! This is a movie I have wanted to see, I am also a pretty big fan of Kate Winslet, not sure if she is in my top 5, but she is up there. This is just all the more reason I will have to get it, oh well now I have something to watch this weekend.

    Henry
    Illinois Real Estate License

  3. Henry, I was talking this over with my nephew this evening and I’ll have to revise the post. She is in my top five, which also include Katherine Hepburn, Jody Foster and Meryl Streep. Odldy, my creme-de-la creme list of actresses is much shorter than my list of male actors. But if you like Winslet, you can’t go wrong with this one.

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