60
An enjoyable seriocomic tale of a poor couple whose holiday-time miracle becomes a test of faith.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
75
New York Daily News by Elizabeth Weitzman
Gentle and affecting, it offers an introduction to a mostly unfamiliar world while touching on issues recognizable to all.
70
A warm, conciliatory entertainment.
70
As directed by Gidi Dar, Ushpizin has a disarming folk quality.
75
There's little difference between this joyful holiday film and the standard-issue yuletide-miracle movie, except that the holiday isn't Christmas.
70
Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan
A gently humorous fable about the power of faith and the possibility of change, Ushpizin not only takes place in Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, it was filmed with that media-shy group's cooperation and followed religious law at all times.
60
Ushpizin's effortlessly authentic depiction of Jewish orthodoxy--and the palpable, almost ecstatic sense of joy its characters take in it--ultimately tips the film's hand.
70
The Hollywood Reporter by Sheri Linden
In the charming comedy-parable Ushpizin, religious orthodoxy inspires not unbending dogma but humble, sometimes baffled spiritual striving by its embraceable, flawed characters.
70
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
Stylistically Ushpizin belongs to a classic tradition of raucous Yiddish comedy that is easy to enjoy if taken lightly. At the same time, it sustains a double vision of ultra-Orthodox life.
75
On paper, Ushpizin (Aramaic for "holy guests") looks like a hard sell. It works, however, thanks to a witty script and believable performances from real-life husband and wife.