Wick's Review

Summary - OK 2.5

This modestly intriguing drama – about a disconsolate frump who befriends a sympathetic illegal alien – never catches fire, ultimately falling prey to a thin story, foolish outrage about a supposed injustice, and an insufficiently charismatic cast.

The movie’s highpoint – a joyful celebration of drumming as a means of male liberation and bonding – proves all too fleeting.

Acting - Good 3.0

As the widowed professor who finds zest and purpose through an accidental visitor, Richard Jenkins finally gets a starring role. Being a consummate supporting actor means he’s also a consummate actor, albeit not a very charismatic one. That said, he’s a bit of a hoot when his uptight character lets his hair down and starts drumming.

Haaz Sleiman is charismatic as an illegal Syrian immigrant, the visitor of the movie’s title. It’d be nice to see him in a non-ethnically charged role at some point in the future.

Film - Barely OK 2.0

Edge - Tame 1.1

Reality - Natural 1.0

The movie posits that an illegal immigrant should be allowed to remain in the US because he’s the harmless son of an opponent of the Syrian dictatorship. This creates sufficient sympathy for a movie – barely – but doesn’t wash in the real world, where the allure of America remains much greater than our capacity to take in all who would like to come here.

The movie also implies that America should be less fearful of Arabs, notwithstanding the now scabbed-over wounds of 9/11. Perhaps, though the movie depicts an America that is tough but fair, a more just posture than most countries would adopt in similar circumstances.

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