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Good movie but grossly overrated

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Lucky me, seeing Alia Shawkat twice in a row, unexpectedly, on a Saturday film night. This time she plays an American cousin to a Palestinian boy who comes to America with his mother. It starts out in Palestine (West Bank) though, and it's really interesting to get a sense of that place through a piece of film drama (other than the news or a documentary).Main character Muna Farah is played very well by Nisreen Faour, as her struggles with her new life really come across. Director Cherien Dabis said it like this, elsewhere on the net: 'had a sweetness about her [...] a kindness and a childlike sense of wonder. There was something about her that was so youthful, and yet, I could still see in her eyes the depth of sadness that her life experience had given her.' That's what I was trying to say!The story is more like a series of incidents, the main lines being Muna trying to find work and her son Fadi trying to regain his identity (though there is plenty beyond that, like how the family they stay with is coping). There is the school principal who befriends Muna, and there is the hostile schoolboy who opposes Fadi - and from there on it goes... and quite suddenly ends - leaving me to think this would have made great material for at least a miniseries.On the whole it's a very sympathetic little film - low key and low budget - truly with its heart in the right place.

1st watched 1/1/2012 – 8 out of 10 (Dir-Cherien Dabis): Well made drama about a single mother and her son moving from Bethlehem in Palestine to the US, and encounter many different obstacles upon their arrival. This movie is what you'd call a slice-of-life film but focused on a situation that isn't shown much in the movies. They decide to move right in the middle of the Iraq conflict to help the son with his schooling possibilities while suspicions are high against people from their area. This is seen from the perspective of non-Muslim middle eastern folk who just want to live their lives like everyone else. The son first has to encounter being a teen at a Midwest high school where he gets into fights and then gets arrested defending his mother – so things aren't so kind for him in his new surroundings. Nisreen Faour is wonderful as the mother and the rest of the cast is spot on. The experience is not all gloom-and-doom as the mother meets a sympathetic Polish Jew who is the principal of her son's school as well as a friendly teen she works with at the local White Castle. The only real downside to the movie is that it ends too soon. You get attached to these characters and want to see more, but it ends before any major conclusions – other than the fact that life will go on and things are looking up. Don't miss this gem of a movie that deserves a sequel or maybe a reality series on a cable channel?? – Anything to bring back these characters so will can follow them to see how things turn out in the end.

This is a great film about immigrating to North America as a divorced mother. The interactions between Mona (the mother) and Fadi (the son) are memorable; whether it be at the border at the occupied territories, in the US regarding his rebelliousness in school or confronting the attitude of US rural society. I just viewed this film and disagree that it is a stereotype. Maybe the reviewers have not taken a good look at "real life" in North America as a newly arrived immigrant.In this case, they are from occupied Palestine and immigrate exactly when the Bush administration declares war on Iraq. The town shuns them. No one is Iraqi, Palestine is occupied and war is on the way; so the son convinces her to leave when she receives unexpected news.A twist and tease every step of the way and the end is most unexpected!

I had read about Amreeka a few months ago and was eager to see it. I was pleasantly surprised as was Fabio at the realism of this film, the depth of the characters and the relevance and importance of the themes that are explored. The movie tells the tale of a single mother named Muna and her teenage son Fadi, who, tired of the oppression in occupied Palestine (road blocks, constant checks), seize an opportunity to move in with Muna's sister and her husband in the United States. Dreaming of a better life, they are however bitterly disappointed. Muna, who previously worked in a bank, can only obtain a job flipping burgers at White Castle, a fact that she hides from her entire family. Her sister drops her off every day in front of a bank where Muna pretends to work. Her shame in her job is great yet her pride is too high to borrow money from somebody. She lives to provide a good life and education for her son and her extreme care and gentleness are very touching and endearing. The film follows Muna and Fadi's hardships and difficulties and one wonders if they will be able to happily assimilate. Some anti-Arab sentiment is revealed throughout the film and this is a struggle for Muna as she fled her homeland in order to escape persecution only to find it again. Without trying to give too much away, the movie does end on a positive note. The acting is really superb. The entire cast does very well but Muna shines, and her sister stands out particularly as well. You really feel for what is happening and for the lives of the members of this family. This is a beautiful film that will stay with you. As the poster says, it's a journey with a lot of heart. My rating: 7.5 Fabio: 7 Total: 14.5