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Movies / On DVD / Things We Lost in the Fire
Things We Lost in the Fire

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Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)

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Reviews Counted:120

Fresh:77

Rotten:43

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: Things We Lost in the Fire is a well-acted, beautifully filmed reflection on love, loss, addiction and recovery from life's obstacles.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] Rated R for drug content and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:01-02-2008

Synopsis: Danish director Susanne Bier gained international acclaim when she was nominated for an Oscar for 2006's AFTER THE WEDDING, but before that she had strong ties to the hyper-realistic, documentary... Danish director Susanne Bier gained international acclaim when she was nominated for an Oscar for 2006's AFTER THE WEDDING, but before that she had strong ties to the hyper-realistic, documentary style of the Dogme 95 group. In her U.S. debut, THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE, Bier effectively brings together her tendency towards soapy subject matter and her signature vérité style, creating characters with a depth and a human fallibility that are rare in Hollywood. Halle Berry (X-MEN, THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD) stars as Audrey Burke, the stay-at-home wife of well-to-do real estate broker Brian (David Duchovny, TRUST THE MAN). They enjoy what is to all appearances a perfect marriage and family life, with two adorable children (Alexis Llewelyn and Micah Berry) and a fabulous house. Audrey's life is shattered when Brian is killed attempting to intervene in a domestic dispute. In her grief, Audrey reaches out to an unlikely ally: her husband's childhood friend, Jerry (Benicio del Toro, TRAFFIC, 21 GRAMS), a 40-something heroin addict whose relationship with Brian Audrey has always resented. After Brian's death, Jerry goes straight, and Audrey invites him to move into her home, where he bonds with Audrey's kids and begins to heal. The uneasy, tense, and tender relationship that develops between Audrey and Jerry is the heart of the film, with del Toro's charismatic performance suggesting realms of human experience previously uncharted on film: his portrayal of withdrawal symptoms rivals Ewan McGregor's memorable TRAINSPOTTING scene. Berry takes more subtle risks with her role, testing the viewer's sympathy with a somewhat prickly character. Allison Lohman (FLICKA) is a strong supporting character as a Narcotics Anonymous attendee with a crush on Jerry. [More]

Starring: Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro, David Duchovny, Omar Benson Miller

Starring: Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro, David Duchovny, Omar Benson Miller, Alison Lohman, John Carroll Lynch

Director: Susanne Bier

Director: Susanne Bier
Screenwriter: Allan Loeb
Producer: Sam Mendes, Sam Mercer
Composer: Johan Soderqvist
Studio: Paramount Pictures

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Reviews for Things We Lost in the Fire

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/18/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
02/05/08
BBC
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
02/01/08
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Danish director Bier focuses on themes and relationships in what's otherwise a rather contrived melodrama.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
10/27/07
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Susanne Bier's first English-language film is a superbly written, powerfully emotional drama with terrific, Oscar-worthy performances from Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/25/07
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
10/20/07
Screen International
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
05/13/09
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix

You can't manufacture honest sentiment.... So, I'd have to call the movie a noble miss.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
03/21/09
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
10/18/08
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The best part of the film is del Toro's performance, a junkie jumble of many layers, glued together with a deep seated humanity that reaches out to us.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
08/14/08
Andrew L. Urban
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile

A Susanne Bier film guarantees us a potent emotional journey, and this, Bier's first English language film, dissects hearts and searches for truths.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
08/14/08
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile

The film felt very anti-climatic to me for some reason.

Full Review Source: WJFK-FM (CBS Radio) | comment 1 Comment
05/26/08
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy
WJFK-FM (CBS Radio)

Where the film's ambitions crumble is in its avowed refusal to make its audience too uncomfortable.

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment Comment
05/01/08
Alonso Duralde
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
04/03/08
Boxoffice Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I wish someone had lost this script in the fire.

Full Review Source: Buzzine Magazine | comment Comment
03/05/08
Staci Layne Wilson
Staci Layne Wilson
Buzzine Magazine

Things We Lost in the Fire sounds like a made-for-Lifetime weeper. But two superlative performances means "Fire" is anything but a by-the-book drama.

Full Review Source: Washington Times | comment Comment
03/04/08
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
Washington Times

Less than profound, but consistently honest, Things We Lost in the Fire is neither triumphant nor great, but it is meaningful.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
02/25/08
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Scheduled blowups and symbolic dreams and interminable tears until we all feel like we've learned a little something about loss: We want our two hours back.

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
02/22/08
Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly

Often as overwrought as it is heartrending.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
11/27/07
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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Latest News for Things We Lost in the Fire

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