Train of Life
Paramount Classics | Release Date: November 5, 1999 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
5
Negative:
2

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Boston GlobeJim Sullivan
Another phantasmagorical tale of life among the Nazis, is upon us. This one works much better. Read full review
80
Film.comHenry Cabot Beck
Every bit as reverent as "Schindler's List," and no less successful. Read full review
80
Village VoiceAmy Taubin
It's entertainment that never lets us off the hook. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
More imaginative and responsible than the somewhat similar "Life Is Beautiful." Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A fairy tale comedy with the Holocaust as the background, a collision of terror and community, death and beauty. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverJean Oppenheimer
Far superior to either "Life Is Beautiful" or "Jakob the Liar." Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
A tragicomic Holocaust fable that's by turns silly, triumphant and achingly sad. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Gaily seduces you into its fantasy life, then whacks you over the head with a finale that, intentionally or not, functions as a rebuke to the mad optimism of Benigni's pandering film Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
What saves Train of Life from sinking into sudsy Holocaust kitsch is its sustained comic buoyancy. Read full review
60
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Less-than-scintillating spin on "Life Is Beautiful." Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A merry, wistful, tear-and-a-smile romp about the Holocaust, of all things. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Much of the film is frankly ludicrous, but that does little to dispel its overall power and passion. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Too much of the film is not inspired enough in its humor to overcome the queasy feeling that comes from watching a comedy-adventure involving Jews during the Holocaust. Read full review
38
New York PostJonathan Foreman
A misguided exercise - a crude merger of "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Schindler's List" that somehow reminds you of "Hogan's Heroes." Read full review
29
Mr. ShowbizCody Clark
Even if the antic futility of attempting to get an entire shtetl to pull together in the face of genocide is your idea of a day at the races, don't laugh too hard -- the out-of-nowhere ending will make you choke on every chuckle. Read full review
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