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The Motorcycle Diaries

Reviews

Los Angeles Times

Kenneth Turan

"A triumph. Walter Salles was the right choice to direct a film that, knowing enough not to push too hard, simply unfolds in front of us. Gael García Bernal has the gift of unforced magnetism, the ability to make unselfconscious sensitivity heroic on screen. Soulful and reflective…as gentle as it is potent."

Good Morning America

Joel Siegel

"Simply spectacular! Could get a Best Picture Oscar nomination! This is the kind of movie that works so well it’s not like you are watching the film. It is like you are going along for the ride. Amazingly done."

Ebert & Roeper

Richard Roeper

"Thumbs up! Beautifully shot, and the chemistry between these two young actors is terrific. I was moved."

San Francisco Chronicle

Carla Meyer

"5 stars! A superb film. With humor, exquisite compassion and visual grace."

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Colin Covert

”4 stars! Joyous, inspiring and exciting! It’s a trip nobody should miss. It showcases two of the best performances of the year. Gael García Bernal is superb. Rodrigo de la Serna has a shot at a best-supporting-actor nomination for his roguish performance.”

Chicago Tribune

Michael Wilmington

"’The Motorcycle Diaries’ is Walter Salles' best film."

San Diego Union-Tribune

David Elliot

"4 stars! One of the most affecting and humanly realized films ever made about a great man! Director Walter Salles’ command of tone and tactics is impeccable."

Dallas Morning News

Jane Sumner

"A fresh mind-changing experience! A gorgeous film! The best movies make a difference. And 'The Motorcycle Diaries’, directed by Walter Salles and starring Mexico's hottest actor, Gael García Bernal, is one of the year's best. Sensitive, subtle, sometimes hilarious."

Philadelphia Inquirer

Steven Rea

"Stunningly picturesque! Full of heart! ’The Motorcycle Diaries’ is a steady, soulful film experience. It's got poetry to it – the poetry of humanity. Beautifully shot and boasting a vibrant score and fine performances."

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Paula Nechak

"Glorious! Director Walter Salles captures the lovely, heart-and-eye opening ode to youthful possibility with affection and compassion. Gael García Bernal’s wide-eyed warmth and accessibility draws us in and he delivers another fine performance."

Boston Herald

James Verniere

"A gripping, often beautiful depiction of youthful idealism in blossom."

Associated Press

Christy Lemire

"4 stars! One of the year’s best pictures! Begins as a wild, buddy-road flick. It evolves in mesmerizing fashion into a tale of politics and personal awakening. Together, Gael García Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna have the natural chemistry and camaraderie of two guys who’ve been friends forever. After seeing this film, you’ll want to follow them wherever they roam."

Denver Post

Lisa Kennedy

"A revelation! One of the pleasures of ’The Motorcycle Diaries’ is the full-bodied boisterousness of Rodrigo de la Serna in what should be an Oscar-nominated turn."

Washington Post

Desson Thompson

"Gael García Bernal is the movie’s guiding star. He beams brightly, charming men and women, rich and poor. What Gael García Bernal and this well-wrought movie convey so well is the charisma that would soon become a part of human history."

Portland Oregonian

Shawn Levy

"Sexy, lively, vivid, gorgeous and smart! A rare and precious work! What a wonderful film! ’The Motorcycle Diaries’ is an epic road movie with everything you’d want from such a film: laughs, kicks, adventures, pathos, poetry, natural beauty, strange encounters and friendship tested and strengthened. Gael García Bernal combines boyish looks, fragility, empathy and hopefulness. plays beautifully off Rodrigo de la Serna, whose Granado is a Falstaffian sidekick bursting comically with hunger, lust and a genuine genius for dancing. A full-bodied portrait of a place and time and a heart ignited by all it beholds."

San Jose Mercury News

Glenn Lovell

"4 stars! Exhilarating! Easily one of the year’s best films! Reminds us why we fell in love with movies in the first place. Charismatic Gael García Bernal is perfectly cast. Rodrigo de la Serna is equally good. A celebration of youthful abandon."

 
 
Published on: January 25, 2008