Caramel (2008)
91 %
Reviews Counted: 67 Fresh: 61 Rotten:6 Average Rating: 7.1/10
Consensus:
Caramel is both an astute cultural study, and a charming comedic drama from a talented newcomer.
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Theatrical Release: Feb 1, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $781,954
Synopsis: Warm and sweet, this Lebanese film lives up to its titular substance without ever being too sugary. Actress Nadine Labaki cowrote and directed CARAMEL, an ensemble comedy set in and around a Beirut beauty salon. Labaki also stars as Layale, a beautician torn by her secret affair with a married... [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Al Masri, Joanna Moukarzel, Gisele Aouad, Siham Haddad
Director: Nadine Labaki
Screenwriter: Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeily, Rodney Al Haddad
Producer: Anne-Dominique Toussaint
Composer: Khaled Mouzanar
Screenwriter: Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeily, Rodney Al Haddad
Producer: Anne-Dominique Toussaint
Composer: Khaled Mouzanar
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Ritual and rebellion collide in this bittersweet confection casting a rare gaze upon the pleasures, sorrows, dreams and sexual desires of Arab women in the Middle East.
Comment
06/21/08
Although the film isn't chatty and people are just a little too soap opera-ish photogenic, the film is often understated enough to charm. Small, tender scenes and little details make Caramel a nice, light passing fancy.
06/05/08
Un cálido y entrañable retrato de mujeres, sus historias personales y sus conflictos, en el marco de una sociedad a medio camino entre la modernidad y las tradiciones. Una verdadera revelación.
05/31/08
[A]s smart and heartfelt as it is observant about the universalities of the lives of women...
05/05/08
A 34-year-old music-video director, Labaki shows promise with a smooth, artistic eye, although she succumbs to the Mel Gibson-like tendency to give herself the most closeups.
05/01/08
Top Critic
It would be easy to categorize the Lebanese women's picture Caramel as a Levantine combination of Sex in the City and Beauty Shop, but it's actually a lot smarter, sharper and deeper than that.
04/03/08
A formulaic sisters-are-doing-it-for-themselves (and doing each other's hair) ensemble drama in the manner of 'Beauty Shop,' elevated by the novelty of its Lebanese locations and Arabic cast...
03/31/08
Labaki is so enchanting you’ll find yourself looking forward to her next appearance.
03/28/08
Labaki elicits expressive performances from a cast of amateurs, aided by Khalad Mouzanar's entrancing score and Yves Sehnaoui's lush cinematography.
03/28/08
Top Critic
Perceptive and poignant, Caramel observes the love lives of the establishment's owner, her employees and their customers.
03/28/08
Top Critic
There's a pleasant, easygoing charm to Caramel, largely stemming from Labaki's rare determination to depict Beirut as something other than a war-torn, slowly recovering battleground.
03/27/08
Top Critic
Its chief focus is the bonding between women who rely on each for support, and who really appreciate a place where they can let down their hair.
03/07/08
Top Critic
Caramel is a warm, funny and compassionate movie that examines five women who are at very different stages in their lives, each one with a particular problem to work out.
03/02/08
I like the way (Nadine) Labaki brings character depth to everyone in her sizable ensemble.
03/01/08
Filmgoers expecting My Big Fat Lebanese Waxing are in for a bigger treat: Nadine Labaki, who wrote and directed the film, possesses an astute instinct for restraint that makes Caramel smarter ans more poignantthan the average chick flick.
02/28/08
Top Critic
Groundbreaking it is not. But it follows the familiar path cheerfully enough, and it paints a vivid, movie-friendly picture of a woman's life in Lebanon.
02/28/08
Related Forums
Inside story about life
by: waelwael 5/28
by: waelwael 5/28
Pictures
Trailers & Clips
News
Critics Consensus: Over Her Dead Body is DOA, Guess The Eye's & Strange Wilderness' Tomatometer!
posted by Tim Ryan January 31, 2008
This week at the movies, we've got creepy visions (The Eye, starring Jessica Alba), haunted romances (Over Her Dead...
posted by Tim Ryan January 31, 2008
This week at the movies, we've got creepy visions (The Eye, starring Jessica Alba), haunted romances (Over Her Dead...
IGN RSS Feeds