Orphans

i feel bad giving this movie such a good review. in the day and age we live in, anyone who reads this recommendation and sees Orphans will probably be shocked and disgusted. you will find NO special effects in Orphans. no glitz, no huge budget, and no big name actors. can you imagine?? no, what you find in this movie is a cast of three actors who absolutely bring three characters to life. the chemistry is amazing and the screenplay is among the best i've ever seen. Orphans is all based around three characters and one house. how do they possibly carry a four star movie without any explosions, without any computer generated effects, without any ben afleck?! see the dying art of acting and script writing in it's finest form before all we're left with is style and no substance. 10/10

EDIT: I was a teenager when I wrote this user comment. I had just seen Orphans for the first time and obviously left a very reactionary review. While my comments aren't the most well informed or mature, they do reflect my feelings at the time so I will not change them. I just wanted to add that while I am now in my mid 20s and find my above comments very silly, I still love this movie and consider it one of my all time favorites.

Yeah a complete 10. Hard but excellent. As you follow along it draws you in. The story is good, I even step back and notice the slow camera work. So So intimate, like you get to experience a private showing of a great play right in your living room.

....I wish to mention one review above by ccthemovieman...it speaks of homosexual issues. I only hope you are young or from some other perspective...because this emotional charged story is just about " a little encouragement , a squeeze of the shoulder" really nothing more , no overtones , or other issues. It is just caring. Human caring and encouragement. Very simple, very pure. Remember this was a while ago when it was OK for males to touch and not get arrested or whatever. Society's...people's loss that that has gotten so cloudy/avoided.

So no I feel there is no homosexual suggestions or whatever in this story. ....perhaps has to do with the eye of the beholder?? I remembered this when saw it prob 25 yrs ago ....just finally found and bought it. Just as powerful as I recall.

Two ignorant, semi-depraved brothers, dead-end kids abandoned by their parents and living (so to speak) in a condemned house near Newark, New Jersey, kidnap a drunken Irish dandy and hold him for ransom, but get more than they bargained for after daylight and sobriety transforms their prisoner into a cunning thief (and surrogate father). Director Alan J. Pakula makes little attempt to open up the stage play that inspired the film, and the artificial theatricality of the setting and dialogue doesn't translate well to the big screen. But the often absorbing dynamics between each of the three high-caliber actors is enough reason to recommend the play itself, if only to stage buffs.

i saw this movie in the late 80's and it's only been equaled by one other movie (imho). when you watch the movie, you have to understand that it was a play adapted to a movie and plays tend to be acted a little "over the top"... which is needed to reach out and grab an audience that is physically all around you. however, don't let that steer you away from the incredible acting and story that is told. it's about a basic and fundamental need in all human beings, the need to be loved and cared for in naturing way. this movie is so raw in it's needs and emotions, it can be hard to watch. really, it can be painful and some people don't like that. sometimes we just want to be entertained. this movie can be entertaining at times, but if you want to watch something that will speak directly to your heart and not sugarcoat reality in any way, you can do no better than this film. all 3 actors are exceptional in this movie and for it to get no critical acclaim is criminal. i see 12 reviews on IMDb.com. wow. i know the movie is a bit obscure, but not that obscure... the actors are well known and do such an incredible job. please make every effort to watch this and you won't be disappointed. if you aren't affected by this movie, you aren't human.

This movie has a power that many movies lack. The acting by all three main characters is super. It's about two orphan brothers who try robbing another orphan. Instead of robbing him, they end up working for him. An awesome movie that shouldn't be missed!