The Celebration

Name: The Celebration
Genre: Drama
Released: October 9, 1998
Duration: 105 min
Rating: 82
Cast: Henning Moritzen, Ulrich Thomsen

1998

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Universal acclaim based on 7 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 30 Ratings

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8.2

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8.2	User Score Universal acclaim based on 30 Ratings

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The Celebration

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Movie Details & Credits

October Films | Release Date: October 9, 1998 | R

Starring: Henning Moritzen, Ulrich Thomsen

Summary: At Helge's 60th birthday party, some unpleasant family truths are revealed.

Director: Thomas Vinterberg

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: R

Runtime: 105 min

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Critic Reviews

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. Read full review

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. Read full review

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. Read full review

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. Read full review

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. Read full review

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. Read full review

Godfrey Cheshire

A propulsively inventive but uneven family comedy-cum-melodrama. Read full review

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User Reviews

Zapador

Oct 8, 2016

This would have to be somewhere on my personal Top 3, so brilliant in every little detail.
It deals with almost the entire spectrum of emotions, from melancholic to extremely funny - at times these sort of extremes even co-exist without ever interfering with each other in a bad way.
A trueThis would have to be somewhere on my personal Top 3, so brilliant in every little detail.
It deals with almost the entire spectrum of emotions, from melancholic to extremely funny - at times these sort of extremes even co-exist without ever interfering with each other in a bad way.
A true masterpiece.
The fact it had a budget of just 1.3 million USD makes it that much more impressive!

I'm not really sure to what extend this movie works outside of Denmark, I'd imagine one would have to be Danish to fully grasp every subtle but brilliant detail this movie has to offer.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

NickTheCritick

Apr 26, 2022

A wealthy Danish family celebrates the patriarch's 60th birthday. Everyone arrives, children and friends, even the servants participate. Everything is beautiful, perfect, polite. Memories flow. Until someone makes a toast that evokes some little skeletons in the birthday boy's closet.
For meA wealthy Danish family celebrates the patriarch's 60th birthday. Everyone arrives, children and friends, even the servants participate. Everything is beautiful, perfect, polite. Memories flow. Until someone makes a toast that evokes some little skeletons in the birthday boy's closet.
For me clearly the best film by Thomas Vinterberg. Shot with a frenetic camera work a real stylistic homage to Von Trier.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Spangle

Mar 9, 2016

One of the first works from the avant garde film movement, Dogme 95, The Celebration is a fantastic work from director Thomas Vinterberg. A compelling and thoroughly entertaining look at this broken and dysfunctional family, the film feels almost like a home movie and that we are gettingOne of the first works from the avant garde film movement, Dogme 95, The Celebration is a fantastic work from director Thomas Vinterberg. A compelling and thoroughly entertaining look at this broken and dysfunctional family, the film feels almost like a home movie and that we are getting this exclusive behind the scenes look. In this aspect, the camera work is phenomenal and really puts you into the film and makes it feel as though you are watching this all unfold. The lack of music is an interesting touch that is honestly unnoticeable. The film did not need a score and did not have one, which really added to the realism of the film as a whole. The acting was fantastic, as was the writing, which really added great depth and authenticity to the various characters in the film. For a film that did not really focus on a single character as the protagonist, it never felt disjointed and was still incredibly focused. Overall, The Celebration is a fantastic film that is really well made and a powerful look at family.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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8	#8 Best Movie of 1998
100	#100 Most Discussed Movie of 1998
94	#94 Most Shared Movie of 1998