Critic Rating
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Director
Thomas Vinterberg
Cast
Ulrich Thomsen,
Henning Moritzen,
Thomas Bo Larsen,
Paprika Steen,
Birthe Neumann,
Trine Dyrholm
Genre
Drama
A grandiose party to celebrate a patriarch's sixtieth birthday unearths deep-rooted conflict. When Christian, the eldest son, is asked to give a speech, he reveals he has written two: one is the supposed "speech of truth" which contains a horrendous secret known to his father, while the other speech may be harmless.
This film is artistically daring, even if its home video-style filming is not for everyone. Once you get used to the unusual filming style, however, a family's inner secrets unravel through hidden moments caught on candid camera in this classic of Danish dogma cinema. I recommend this film for those interested in and already acquainted with the Danish dogma movement.
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
Out of the zany strictures of Dogma 95...Danish newcomer Thomas Vinterberg has made a funny, volatile, visually dynamic story about the unraveling of one extended family during the course of a patriarchal 60th-birthday dinner.
The New York Times by Janet Maslin
Though it dedicates itself to avoiding directorial egotism, in accordance with strict rules of the Danish filmmakers' collective known as Dogma 95, Thomas Vinterberg's Celebration is still a virtuoso feat.
Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten
This Danish film is an alternately funny and harrowing look at a family crisis, a meltdown that blends the needs of the truthsayers with the instincts of the let's-bury-our-heads-in-the-sand-and-pretend-none-of-this-is-happening types.
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
he Celebration rips apart the placid facade of a familiar subject, leaving its audience stunned. As difficult as the film can at times be, the patient viewer will be rewarded.
San Francisco Chronicle by Edward Guthmann
Despite the awkward, stomach- churning camera movements and the grainy, flat images that come with insufficient lighting, the actors' work is often riveting and compelling.
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
It's a tribute to The Celebration that the style and the story don't stumble over each other. The script is well planned, the actors are skilled at deploying their emotions, and the long day's journey into night is fraught with wounds that the farcical elements only help to keep open.
Variety
A propulsively inventive but uneven family comedy-cum-melodrama.
Variety by Godfrey Cheshire
A propulsively inventive but uneven family comedy-cum-melodrama.
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