Man Push Cart
Koch Lorber Films | Release Date: September 8, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Bahrani, as director, not only stays out of the way of the simplicity of his story, but relies on it; less is more, and with restraint he finds a grimy eloquence. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Filmed in less than three weeks, Man Push Cart is an exemplary work of independent filmmaking carried out on a shoestring. Mr. Razvi’s convincing performance is a muted portrait of desolation bordering on despair. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Man Push Cart, largely the work of newcomers and near-newcomers, is a remarkably disciplined, subtle film that avoids striking a "triumph of the human spirit" note or any other cliché. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
A slow-burn stunner, where nothing much of consequence happens, except life itself. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
This modern slice of neorealism has been made with a skill, and humanity, that suggests Bahrani may have a "Bicycle Thief" in him yet. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Razvi, once a pushcart vendor himself, is particularly good; he brings a visceral poignancy to a character who comes to represent every desperate soul who ever tried to make it in the land of plenty. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
A fascinating, sad, sometimes quite poetic window into a grueling way of life most of us know little about. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Quietly heartbreaking. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A realistic drama about life's uncertainties. Read full review
70
SlateDana Stevens
If one of the things movies are supposed to do is make you look anew at the world around you, you may never see your doughnut vendor in the same way again. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
This is somewhat fuzzy as narrative, but it's a potent mood piece, and its portait of urban loneliness has some of the intensity of "Taxi Driver" without the violence. Read full review
50
VarietyJay Weissberg
An example of spare, slice-of-life indie cinema at its most unpretentious, Man Push Cart adeptly and subtly layers facts about the protag's history and character into his story. Read full review
50
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
Man Push Cart is a diminutive film, finally--vying for a neorealist vibe, it lacks the Italian history makers' narrative urgency, and the sociopolitical conflict at the heart of the immigration "issue" is hardly engaged. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
The makers of Man Push Cart seem so dedicated to making a film that defies Hollywood conventions that the finished product lacks enough entertainment value to justify price of admission. Read full review
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