Invasions barbares, Les 2003

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: While it would seem like an unlikely candidate for a sequel, The Barbarian Invasions at least revives its talky debates over the things that matter: politics, literature, love, friendship and, of course, sex. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: The characters' endless conversations, which range from health care to Mao to heroin, are never less than engaging, and Arcand's obvious affection for all his characters, deserving or not, proves contagious. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: [A] masterpiece. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: A film that effortlessly makes you laugh with delight, cringe with pain and weep for life's inevitable end. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: What makes The Barbarian Invasions much more than a facile exercise in generational conflict is that Denys Arcand, who wrote and directed it, has a sense of history that is as acute as it is playful. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: The Barbarian Invasions flirts with shallow pieties and glib wisdom, but in the end it dives into the deepest part of the pool. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: [A] surprisingly moving film. Read more

Ted Shen, Chicago Reader: Despite an uneven cast, Arcand finds a tonal balance between sentimental and cynical that keeps the conversations real and heart wrenching. Read more

Michael Booth, Denver Post: Fun to watch. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: I kept wondering how Arcand could have chosen as his generational representative a man not just flawed in his hedonism but one so fundamentally lacking in tenderness for others. Read more

Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: A savvy look at generation gaps and parental disappointment, and the often-wide chasm that separates pragmatism and ideology. Read more

Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly: [A] deep and marvelously humane film. Read more

Gene Seymour, Newsday: The banter ... is thick enough to rake -- and often way too thick to swallow, even for those who might not mind spending a couple hours with a bunch of baby boomers wasting their time by sorting through wasted time in the past. Read more

Bob Campbell, Newark Star-Ledger: If secular humanism were an actual religion, The Barbarian Invasions would be recognized as a religious masterpiece. Read more

Jami Bernard, New York Daily News: A deeply felt celebration of the life force. Read more

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: One of the most intelligent and articulate entertainments of the year from any country. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: A nicely balanced blend of sentiment and acrid wit. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: In the end, our tears are because we identify with these characters, not because the script has inelegantly manipulated our emotions. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The Barbarian Invasions is manipulative without apology, and we want it to be. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: French-Canadian director Denys Arcand revisits the aging intellectuals from The Decline of the American Empire -- and they might be interesting, if they'd ever shut up. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: The treatment of the subject isn't maudlin, thanks to a witty script and an enormously likable lead character. Read more

David Edelstein, Slate: Pungently funny and heartfelt. Read more

Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Arcand avoids the temptation of turning the story into a tear-jerker. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: A lament for lost ideals, a fantasy of the good death, a rant against the evils of the modern besieged age -- Quebec director Denys Arcand's latest film can be seen as all these things at once. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Encourages us to examine our own humanity, and to laugh and cry along with some familiar reprobates who are all too human, and all the more loveable for it. Read more

Geoff Andrew, Time Out: Both the comedy and the weepy moments tend towards the trite, but the film is directed and performed with such brio and manipulative skill that one eventually succumbs to its somewhat dubious charms. Read more

USA Today: Despite a slight tendency to be overly pleased with itself, this is a smart piece of work that got Arcand's screenplay an award at Cannes. Read more

Lisa Nesselson, Variety: A full-bodied, funny and gloriously unpretentious ode to family, friendship and the meaning of life. Read more

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: The dramatic tangle of family in The Barbarian Invasions is reduced to a bizarre cartoon of name-dropping, smug banter, and straggling sex-rev nostalgia. Read more