In America Release Date: November 26, 2003 Starring: Samantha Morton, Paddy Considine, Djimon Hounsou Directed by: Jim Sheridan GLENN KENNY'S REVIEW (posted 11/25/03)
Director and coscreenwriter Jim Sheridan (who wrote this film with his daughters Naomi and Kirsten) doesn’t just have a great eye for detail, he’s got a sharp ear as well. In America won me over in an early scene showing its family of Irish immigrants (the haunted Paddy Considine, ever-beguiling Samantha Morton, and lovely real-life sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger) driving through the Lincoln Tunnel; as the light ahead grows, their car radio begins to tune in (the song is “Do You Believe in Magic,” probably too apropos, but never mind)—that sound is a familiar and beloved one to anybody who’s ever had a love affair with Manhattan and its environs. And the stories that follow, as this family tries to come to terms not only with their new home but also an unresolved tragedy they left behind in the old country, continue to strike chords of affection and exasperation that you needn’t be an urbanite to groove on. Sheridan’s work has always been impassioned, but In America also has a warmth that’s utterly enchanting, and a tenderness that’s genuinely touching. This is a real gem.
