SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

peferguson After it's release in 2001, sixteen years later I "discovered this gem quite by accident. It is an amazing film; so well written and performed. Ms. Kinski is wonderful in this, as well as is Tony Goldwyn. A very young Scarlett Johansson shows the talent that she has exuded in future years. I highly recommend this wonderful movie!

Weredegu Experienced Hollywood editor of Hungarian origin Eva Gardos threw this movie together more or less about her own life for her first feature film direction. One unfortunately has to be suspicious about any such first film a director puts together about his or her own life. Few could pull that off to produce a masterpiece. The tale, surely a moving, intriguing, even fascinating one, is not told too well. Still I will recommend this film for two BIG reasons. If you're not interested in what I deem to be problems with the film, move on to the last para.The language problem, the constant dilemmas the film-makers had to face about when to use dubbing, when not (also depending on which market you want to sell on), when a character should be speaking in American English, in English with a Hungarian accent, in Hungarian with an English accent or Hungarian, obviously must have posed a great difficulty in handling the task of story-telling, and would have made suspending disbelief a bit more difficult for the audience anyway. But English with a Slavic accent as English with a Hungarian accent really doesn't work well when you hear it. OK, for an American with no Hungarian connection it can be alright. But there were problems if you put yourself beyond this, too. Beside errors in telling the story, the Hungary showed in the movie is just not real. It's interesting that among the comments so far I have only seen a guy from Kent (the UK) point that out, even contrary to some others who found the atmosphere of the Hungarian scenes authentic. I have felt neither the political situation get across to the viewer, nor local culture being authentically presented. Altogether, the mood of the era is not captured at all, not translated to the mainly American audience that may still, of course, feel as though it would be.So why would I still recommend the film? On the one hand Eva Gardos doesn't do justice to herself, for the story is really damn interesting. Not just because of the role history plays in it, but because you have women in the focus here and so you're guaranteed to see strong female characters. Or not exactly guaranteed, for I have seen films with women in the focus end up differently, but in 'American Rhapsody' this is something that actually works well. It's primarily one person's responsibility I believe. She is the other reason you have to check this movie out. After the film I looked up her name on IMDb, thinking it was time for some talent-spotting. 'Scarlett Johansson' – OK, I decided to remember the name. Next week one TV channel played 'Lost in Translation'. She was in it, so I decided to watch it. Just guess if I started disliking her after that… :-). I'll help you out. Whenever I walk across the Széchenyi Chain Bridge here in Budapest I think with amazement of her having walked across there in 'American Rhapsody'.

frankish-1 I have watched this film numerous times on the cable televisions not because it's so good, but because it's not as bad as the other films they broadcast constantly. "An American Rhapsody" is an interesting movie but nothing more.I watched it mainly because i heard Nasstasja Kinski was in it. I'm a big fan of hers but she isn't so great here and i think it's not her fault. It's the script actually. There's one awful moment in particular that i recall now and it always makes laugh but not because it's funny - it's really stupid actually. It's the scene where the little Zsuzsi says "shit" at the party, something that her sister has thought her - it's really one stupid and predictable situation and it's not funny at all. The conversations are also too standard sometimes and although the core story is really interesting i don't think the director has managed to justify it. I also didn't like Scarlett Johansson in the role of Zsuzsi. She is really boring in this film.Nevertheless the film is still very interesting at times. As i've already said the core story is really good, there are several very good scenes, Nastassja Kinski is still very attractive, the girl that plays Zsuzsi as a kid is very sweet and fun to watch. I also liked the depiction of America in the 50's and also the life behind the Iron Curtain. There are still some very interesting ideas. I especially liked the scenes when Zsuzsi return to Hungary as a teenager and the story that her grandmother tells her, when she realizes what her mother went through to secure her a good life. But Johansson really wasn't for that part. I don't understand why didn't they get an Eastern European actress. It would have been so much easier and much more efficient. But you know - it's an American film after all.Watch this film if you are in the mood of a good drama but don't really bother if you have something better to do.

Ben Hughes (Gladtobesaved6) This is the definition of a Norfolk Library Film. No ones' heard of it. Now really Norfolk Library does have some films that are popular but they also have tons of films I know or care little about. I got this only 'cuz it had Larisa Oleynik in the credtis. What is she doing there? She has like 2 minutes of screen time. Not that this is anything new to films, but I was hoping to actually hear more than 4 sentences from her. Back to the Film...A family wants to leave Hungary 'cuz it's communist. Great Idea but their youngest girl gets left behind. She eventually gets to LA when she's 6 years old but doesn't like it there. By the time she's 15 she hates everyone in her life and wants to go back to the simple world she left beind. This could be really good for a drama, and I'M SURE the real experience was better than the movie. This film was never sure where it wanted to go, starting in Black and White (ala Schindler's List) then switching to color. 99% of the problems that arise are because the mom never tells her daughter about what made Hungary so bad. When the girl does go back, she finds out any ways. What a waste of a plane ticket. PS: That bridge is cool. It's the same picture as on a "Greater Vision" Album called "Far Beyond This Place"