The Band's Visit

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The Band's Visit

PG-13

2008

1h 30m

Comedy

Drama

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98%

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118 Reviews

86%

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10,000+ Ratings

The eight Egyptian musicians who comprise the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrive by mistake in a small town in Israel's Negev Desert. Their booking set for a different city, and with no transportation out of the town or any hotels to stay at, the band settles at a restaurant owned by Dina (Ronit Elkabetz), who offers them lodging. Overcoming ethnic barriers, the Egyptians find diversion and companionship with the Israelis through a pervading undercurrent of shared melancholy.

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Critics Consensus

The Band's Visit is both a clever, subtle slice-of-life comedy, and poignant cross-cultural exploration.

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Namrata Joshi

The New Indian Express

10/26/2023

...ultimately cut from the same cloth, with similar feelings and thoughts, hopes and disappointments, experiencing the same loneliness, love and longing in life...

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David Stratton

The Australian

07/10/2008

4.5/5

A witty, elegant and deeply affecting film.

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

07/10/2008

4/5

What matters is the sense of exhilaration you take away with you.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

04/15/2024

4.5/5

One can only hope that this film shows the potential for what the future can hold.

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Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

03/22/2021

Even without the coveted Oscar pedigree, this modest comedy has to be the most delightful and enjoyable movie now playing in local theaters.

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Toni Vall

Cinemanía (Spain)

11/06/2020

2.5/5

Everything in it is telegraphed to the point of exasperation. [Full review in Spanish]

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Arash l

@RT64684501 Sep 23

what an amazing movie, so beautiful, gentle, human, made my eyes wet multiple times. one of the best movies I've ever seen. made me feel I was there with them, in that quite town, in that evening, reminded me of my home, back in Iran, how unbelievably similar we are...

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Stephen C

@bob25009 06/08/2025

Funny in just 1.5 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Brief Strong Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Arabic and English versions with English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Leaburn O

@RT35452347 09/06/2024

A few good scenes aside, it felt like it tried too hard to charm. My overriding emotion was boredom brought on by the terminally slow pacing unfortunately. Watched on DVD.

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Fong Kok Hoong F

@RT29722865 10/15/2023

This Israel's original Foreign Language Film submission for the 80th Academy Awards (but deems ineligible for not containing predominantly a language other than English) glimmers with sardonic humour and restrained poignancy when the titular Israeli police orchestra en route to perform at cultural organization in Egypt is lost and has to spend a night in the warmth of strangers working at cafe.

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Andrey T

@RT95492063 06/24/2023

Such a beautiful movie. The combination of camera work and acting turn some seemingly perfectly mundane moments into moments charged with comedy, tragedy, awkwardness, hope. It is a film woven from intimate moments and I don't think I'll ever again laugh as hard at a shot of people sitting around the table without moving or speaking.

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dave s

@RT68722908 07/05/2022

An Egyptian police band arrives in Israel with the intention of playing a concert at an Arab cultural center. However, due to a miscommunication, they find themselves in a remote Israeli town that is notably devoid of both Arabs and culture. Over the course of an evening, the members of the band are dispersed and manage to form close bonds with their Jewish hosts. The humor is as dry as the arid landscape, the relationships formed feel real, and, among other things, the film confirms that music is a common bond that draws us together, regardless of our differences. The Band's Visit is sad, bittersweet, romantic, and slyly funny…and it's worth watching.

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Eran Kolirin

Director

Sasson Gabay

Tawfiq

Ronit Elkabetz

Dina

Saleh Bakri

Haled

Khalifa Natour

Simon

Imad Jabarin

Camal Abdel Azim

Nolan, del Toro, Stanton and More on Golden Tomatoes

RT on DVD: Harold & Kumar, Doomsday and Dark City Director’s Cut

Critics Consensus: Gold is a Fool’s Paradise, Roscoe is Not Welcome

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Synopsis

The eight Egyptian musicians who comprise the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrive by mistake in a small town in Israel's Negev Desert. Their booking set for a different city, and with no transportation out of the town or any hotels to stay at, the band settles at a restaurant owned by Dina (Ronit Elkabetz), who offers them lodging. Overcoming ethnic barriers, the Egyptians find diversion and companionship with the Israelis through a pervading undercurrent of shared melancholy.

Director: Eran Kolirin
Producer: Eilon Ratzkovsky, Ehud Bleiberg, Yossi Uzrad, Koby Gal-Raday, Guy Jacoel
Screenwriter: Eran Kolirin
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: July August Productions, Dulac Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: Arabic
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 8, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 27, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.1M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)