Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

powermandan In America's legacy has made it become one of the most critically acclaimed films of the 2000s. Well-known film critic Richard Roeper called it the best of 2003, second best of the decade (only behind The Departed, which was actually a worthy #1), and a timeless work of art equal to Frank Capra. Really? Geez! It was great but certainly not THAT great! I do have some problems with believability and pointers that would have made the movie better. But nonetheless, what the movie has is a terrific immigration drama that everybody will cherish.The movie takes place in 1982 where a poor family moves to Hells Kitchen from Ireland in search of a better life. I guess that the Cold War drove them out and they chose New York for opportunity, but why not elsewhere in the state of New York or Canada? Oh well. The family is still mourning the death of their 5-year-old son Frankie, but the older of the children (played by the real life sisters) prays to Frankie for 3 wishes and will only use them up for special and much-needed times. They move to the ghetto part of Hells Kitchen where they must do all they can to make ends meet.There are some really great moments that will make you melt. The first happens when they go to a carnival and the dad plays a ball-throwing game to win a stuffed doll of ET. ET is a reoccurring motif since he is an alien and the movie is about aliens in America. The dad is willing to give up all their money for that doll. But it is not just about the doll, the scene has so much to offer. A few scenes are almost this strong, but the intention was to make the audience feel as proud as the characters. Director Jim Sheridan succeeds in doing that.Here is my criticism. The family just lost their youngest child, they're dirt-poor, and must adjust to living in a new land unfamiliar to them. I know that the family tries to keep it all together, but they seemed way to calm to hold so much grief in. I have experienced loss, so its not like I don't know what I'm talking about. Losing a loved one (especially children) and money problems are the two hugest factors that break a family apart. There are brief outbursts at the end, but that is where they should have subsided. We see the family struggling, but them getting by so easily wasn't anything huge.My next bit I found wrong was that there didn't seem to be much moments of true victories that could REALLY get the audience glowing. The dad winning the ET doll and a scene near the end are it in terms of true victories. Most of the times the family overcomes an obstacle just puts a little smile on the viewer's face, not a starstruck smile that "Rocky" or "It's a Wonderful Life" did. The reason the ET scene worked so well was because so much was on the line and we saw him failing and the stakes getting higher and higher. I know that a poor immigrant family holds all on the line, but them getting over it all just seemed too easy for me to get the same reaction from other people. So these two flaws effected the whole movie and prevented me from giving it a perfect score. I know that I just spent most of the time giving it flack, but the movie does have strong suits too. The parents are admirable and the girls are adorable. The girls are what really carry this movie. The whole point of this movie is love these characters and be proud of them. The movie focuses mainly on their ups and how they cope with things that most other families would be torn apart from. The girls believe in magic, and magic is a motif that is played about perfectly. And frankly, "magic" is the best word for this film.

gavin6942 A family of Irish immigrants adjust to life on the mean streets of Hell's Kitchen while also grieving the death of a child.The film was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay for the Sheridans, Best Actress for Samantha Morton and Best Supporting Actor for Djimon Hounsou. Yet, the real reason to watch this is for the two sisters and how charming they are.Ebert wrote, "In America is not unsentimental about its new arrivals (the movie has a warm heart and frankly wants to move us), but it is perceptive about the countless ways in which it is hard to be poor and a stranger in a new land." More than this, it shows an interesting cross-section of race and nationality. Not the great film it wants to make itself out to be, but still a rather light-hearted walk down the path of modern immigration (keeping it even lighter by having the immigrants speak English).

sjudedowney I just saw 'In America' again, on the Sundance channel. I'd seen it years ago, remembered liking it, and it is still a very good movie to me. I'm not sure why, but it's a very moving film. I don't think it's melodrama or sentimentality. It touches a nerve in me about loss and grief and trying to move forward from that pain. It may not do that for everyone (and apparently doesn't, judging from the negative reviews). Also, the undercurrent of this 'magic' in the movie, a view that one of the girls sees in her life. It's a nice little theme (or plot line or ?) in the movie, a part that some may deem 'sentimental' but not a big enough part of the film to be anything more than the sweet look of the world through this girl's eyes.Well acted, good story, nice soundtrack. Highly recommended.

tanelteder First of all, I'd like to say that I was hugely impressed. Mostly because of the work Jim Sheridan has done here. An excellent Irish director who has his own unique way to create very good movies. As I understand this movie is quite personal to him and dedicated to his family. It's easy to see why. The movie is all about family. It shows what a great influence a family has for its members. What it means to stick together and to climb over all the obstacles life throws on the road. But the most important note the movie points is the power of overcoming a loss of a family member. Very lovely and inspirational movie. It has its tragic and heartfelt scenes which make In America a wonderful movie. Recommended for all the families.Great job by Jim Sheridan because of creating an atmosphere where there is no first-class movie stars, but still cast is one the strongest part of the movie. It shows you the worth of this movie.