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Has the use of Nazis in movies reached the point of being pornographic? While some observers might say that line was crossed long ago, others may find that conclusive proof arrives in Brian Percival's "The Book Thief," based on an international bestseller that The New York Times jibed as "Harry Potter and the Holocaust." Here, of course, the kind of pornography that's meant isn't erotic (there are only coy glimmers of that) but sentimental – historic horror enlisted in the cause of facile fantasy.

If you go to a bookstore looking for Markus Zusak's novel, the movie's source, you're likely be directed to the Young Adult or Teen Fiction sections, which explains a lot about the movie's appeal, and lack thereof. Like a kid-friendly mulch of elements cribbed from "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "Slaughterhouse-Five," the film conceivably could play well to an audience of 12-year-olds and their grandparents. Other adults, though, are more apt to find the proceedings an occasion for fits of squirming and eye-rolling.

This is the movie, after all, that's narrated by Death, a device that you can imagine possibly working in a Hollywood film of the '30s or '40s, but hardly since. What's the Grim Reaper doing here, besides nudging along the exposition and dropping ironic bon mots? Obviously, he serves a purpose much akin to that of the movie's impeccably costumed but barely differentiated Nazis: to attempt giving some thematic ballast to a tale so wispy and ungrounded that otherwise it might float away.

The center of that fiction is Liesel ( Sophie Nelisse ), one of those spunky young heroines that keep the Young Adult industry afloat. When Death first introduces her, in 1938, she is on the run with a fugitive mother and a little brother who dies in the first scene. Soon after, Mom vanishes over the horizon and Liesel is taken in by a good-hearted provincial couple, kindly Hans ( Geoffrey Rush ) and crusty-but-lovable Rosa ( Emily Watson ). Was the girl's mom, as is hinted, a communist? Why would this couple, who barely have enough to eat, take in an unknown child to care for? Such are the questions the movie ignores as it gallops along to history's accelerating drumbeat.

Here's another: How is it that Liesel, mocked by her new schoolmates for being illiterate, quickly morphs not just into a reader but one so adept and voracious that she's soon swiping books from the local burgermeister's library? (This valorization of reading is a transparent come-on in many books aimed at young readers.) Whatever its source, her newfound passion is one she shares with Max ( Ben Schnetzer ), a young Jewish guy the kindly couple hide in their basement. And of course, the Nazis hate books, as they demonstrate by burning a heap in the town square.

Our heroine's bookishness, meanwhile, is mainly a source of bemusement to Rudy (Nico Liersh), the flaxen-haired neighbor boy who befriends and dotes on her. In a different, more reality-based movie, their relationship would be a coming-of-age romance. But though the characters here age from 13 to 17 during the story, at the end they look exactly like the barely pubescent kids they were when it started, and the troubling excitements of eros never arise.

That ostensibly strange fact is perhaps explained less by the obvious constraints of filming the same actors in a short production schedule than by the have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too logic that guides so many fantasy narratives. In this realm, people supposedly grow up, yet at the same time remain magically innocent and unchanged. Likewise, history: the mean old Nazis hound Max and march sad-looking Jews down the street, but we never see what happens to those Jews—they remain vaguely wistful images divorced from the cruel reality of their corporeal fates.

While director Percival ("Downton Abbey") elicits estimable performances from his cast, especially Nelisse, Rush and Watson, the visible world he embeds them in looks like a set from an old studio movie or a '50s TV sitcom. Heaven Street, the provincial thoroughfare is called, and its airbrushed quaintness is as dreamily reassuring as John Williams' score, despite (or because of?) the heavily fetishized Nazi flags that seem to festoon every available inch of screen space.

In the end, there's a distinct air of solipsism to this tale. To be sure, bombs fall, death ensues, and Heaven Street briefly appears rather hellish. But Liesel undergoes no discernible transformation, and that seems to be the point: History may be awful, but a young heroine's spunkiness can overcome anything. Thus does actual tragedy get reduced to the role of kitschy backdrop, a transposition of true obscenity.

Godfrey Cheshire

Godfrey Cheshire is a film critic, journalist and filmmaker based in New York City. He has written for The New York Times, Variety, Film Comment, The Village Voice, Interview, Cineaste and other publications.

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The Book Thief (2013)

Rated PG-13

Geoffrey Rush as Hans Hubermann

Emily Watson as Rosa Hubermann

Sophie Nélisse as Liesel Meminger

Ben Schnetzer as Max Vandenburg

Nico Liersch as Rudy Steiner

Joachim Paul Assböck as SS Officer

Sandra Nedeleff as Sarah

Kirsten Block as Frau Heinrich

Matthias Matschke as Wolfgang Edel

Brian Percival

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The Book Thief Reviews

The film has its respectful essence, but lacks a bit of the spirit and entertainment value.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 16, 2024

For two hours I was a resident on that small town German street. I cared about the characters, laughed with them, and was pierced by the tragedies they endured.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 19, 2022

The Book Thief mixes British actors using German accents, a few German actors, and the occasional German word, creating a playfully successful illusion of German-ness. The story is tragic and captivating at the same time. Nélisse and Rush are outstanding.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Mar 27, 2022

Laudably, The Book Thief 's main theme is the need to defend culture, a subject of the greatest urgency in the present political situation.

Full Review | Feb 27, 2021

Doesn't always trust the story to work on its own, so it wedges in a few too many big moments - and one egregious bit of product placement - but when it relies on the performances, it works.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 1, 2021

The film's real selling point proves to be the presence of Geoffrey Rush.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4.0 | Sep 4, 2020

Impeccably acted and beautifully scripted, The Book Thief is an absorbing effort that captures everything that was so widely admired about the original novel. Co-stars Nico Liersch.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 4, 2020

The Book Thief has stolen my heart. To describe the film in a word, it's quite simply, magnificent.

Full Review | Jan 7, 2020

As it is, The Book Thief still finds its way into your heart slowly and over time, and it stays there way after leaving the theater.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 31, 2019

It may span the most significant decades of last century, but The Book Thief pretty much boils down to girl-lives-with-family, girl-learns-to-read - for two hours.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 8, 2019

Opening with a sweeping shot of a train racing on snow-covered tracks, a title card reads 'Germany, February 1938'. This kind of vagueness sets up a film that brushes past details in favour of a broad-strokes Nazi movie for the whole family.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 11, 2018

The film has essentially been commissioned on the say-so of pinot-guzzling, chick-lit-licking chocoholics, and it shows. Boy, it's dull and pointless.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Feb 22, 2018

The film is hamstrung by the novel's structure, unsure whether to be a 12A-certificate family outing, or to luxuriate in morbid irony.

Full Review | Jan 2, 2018

While it may not be suitable for young children, The Book Thief may be one of the best films for families that will play through the holiday season.

Full Review | Nov 29, 2017

It's probably a little too modest for its potential Oscar goals, but it's a fine film nonetheless.

Full Review | Oct 20, 2017

The Book Thief manages to capture the horror of war and the tension of life in the Hubermann household, and there are moments that will shock those not familiar with the story.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 8, 2017

Ultimately not much more complex than the moment in which two children yell "I hate Hitler" across a lake, it imparts the message that Nazis are bad, books are good, and Geoffrey Rush would make a great dad even in WWII Germany

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 5, 2014

This extremely moving drama suggests the Holocaust story Ray Bradbury might have written: Events are seen through a child's eyes; books are shown to contain a healing, transformative power; and the supernatural is real, if symbolic.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 24, 2014

Zusak's story is stirring, and it holds the film up during most of its predictable parts, but The Book Thief never rises too far above that. The narration from Death only serves to make it more like some sort of fantastical fairy tale.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Mar 22, 2014

Regrettably this poignant and profound story, does not feel very poignant nor profound at all.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 10, 2014

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The book thief: film review.

Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson and newcomer Sophie Nelisse star in director Brian Percival's adaptation of the Markus Zusak novel.

By Stephen Farber

Stephen Farber

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“From the studio that brought you Life of Pi! ” declare the ads for the new 20th Century Fox literary adaptation of The Book Thief . Both of these movies are indeed rarities in today’s marketplace; they are films for adults, adapted from best-selling novels with philosophical overtones, that are a long way from the comic book franchises more beloved of today’s studio executives. The gamble on Life of Pi paid off in spades for Fox; the film not only won four Oscars but became an enormous worldwide financial success. Neither of those achievements will be duplicated by The Book Thief , but you still have to give the studio credit for going against the grain and gambling on the intelligence of the audience.

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Film Review: ‘The Book Thief’

Brian Percival delivers a quietly effective and engaging adaptation of Markus Zusak's WWII-set novel.

By Dennis Harvey

Dennis Harvey

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Markus Zusak’s international bestseller “ The Book Thief ” has been brought to the screen with quiet effectiveness and scrupulous taste by director Brian Percival and writer Michael Petroni. This tale of Nazi Germany seen from a child’s perspective translates into solidly engaging drama, albeit one that may not be starry, flashy or epic enough to muscle its way into the front ranks of awards-season contenders. Bolstered by the novel’s fans, the Fox release (which opens limited Nov. 8) should ride solid reviews and word of mouth to midlevel prestige returns in line with such comparable medium-scaled WWII dramas as “The Reader” and “The Pianist.”

Petroni streamlines or eliminates some peripheral characters and subplots without compromising the book’s essence. Like its source, the film is narrated by Death (voiced by Roger Allam), who says at the start that he seldom bothers with the living, but took a particular interest in young Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nelisse). Liesel is first seen on a train in 1938 with her mother and brother, en route to a destination that her sickly sibling never makes it to. Neither does her mother, who may be headed to prison due to her communist leanings, it’s later rumored. So Liesel arrives alone at the doorstep of her new foster parents, housepainter Hans Hubermann ( Geoffrey Rush ) and his endlessly henpecking wife, Rosa (Emily Watson).

When it emerges that Liesel is illiterate — inviting immediate ridicule from school bully Franz (Levin Liam) — kindly Hans makes a game of teaching her to read. The first tome they conquer is one she’d grabbed when it fell from a laborer’s coat at her brother’s funeral: “The Gravedigger’s Handbook.” Later she dares rescue a burning book from a bonfire of “decadent” works at a Nazi rally. This act attracts the lone notice of the local Buergermeister’s wife, Frau Hermann (Barbara Auer), who later clandestinely lets Liesel use her late son’s personal library during her weekly laundry deliveries to that imposing mansion.

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In contrast, the Hubermanns barely scrape along on Rosa’s laundering and little else; we eventually deduce that Hans’ perpetual underemployment is due to his refusal to join “the Party.” As time passes and wartime privations grow worse, their domestic situation turns downright dangerous with the arrival of Max Vandenburg (Ben Schnetzer), the fugitive son of a Jewish comrade who saved Hans’ life during WWI. Honor-bound to hide the young man from the authorities, they nurse him back to health, and he bonds with the fascinated Liesel. She’s sworn to tell no one of his presence, not even best-friend neighbor Rudy (Nico Liersch), though several times the secret comes fearfully close to exposure.

There are modest setpieces: an air-raid, a worrying house-by-house search by Nazi officials, Max’s second serious illness, and Liesel’s hysterical response when Jewish prisoners are marched through town. But “The Book Thief” spans these wartime years from a microcosmic vantage point, seldom straying far beyond the main characters’ ironically named “Heaven Street.” It’s to the credit of Percival (best known for helming several “Downton Abbey” episodes) and Petroni (“The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” “Possession”) that they refuse to artificially inflate the story’s key points for melodramatic or tear-jerking purposes. By the same token, such intelligent restraint may strike some as too even-tempered and slow-paced, touching our emotions without heightening them in the way that often gets more attention come Oscar time.

Rush generously provides the movie’s primary warmth and humor; Watson is pitch-perfect as a seemingly humorless scold with a well-buried soft side. Hitherto little-noticed New Yorker Schnetzer is a real find, making Max a thoroughly ingratiating figure. French-Canadian Nelisse (“Monsieur Lazhar”) doesn’t come across as the most expressive of junior thesps here, but she looks right and does a competent job.

Impeccable design contributions are highlighted by Florian Ballhaus’ somber but handsome widescreen lensing, and an excellent score by John Williams that reps his first feature work for a director other than Steven Spielberg in years. One slightly distracting element is the use of “Ja” and “Da” in otherwise English (but German-accented) dialogue, apart from a few public speeches that deploy subtitled German. The print screened at the Mill Valley Film Festival lacked complete final credits (the ultimate running time will be longer than listed here), and was also short a few (unnoticeable) final-mix tweaks.

Reviewed at Mill Valley Film Festival (U.S. Cinema), Oct. 3, 2013. Running time: 127 MIN.

Production: A 20th Century Fox release of a Fox 2000 Pictures presentation of a Sunswept Entertainment production in association with TSG Entertainment, the Blair Partnership and Studio Babelsberg. Produced by Karen Rosenfelt, Ken Blancato. Executive producer, Redmond Morris. Co-producers, Charlie Woebcken, Christoph Fisser, Henning Molfenter.
Crew: Directed by Brian Percival. Screenplay, Michael Petroni, based on the novel by Markus Zusak. Camera (color, HD, widescreen), Florian Ballhaus; editor, John Wilson; music, John Williams; production designer, Simon Elliott; supervising art director, Bill Crutcher; art directors, Anja Muller, Jens Lockmann; set decorator, Mark Rosinski; costume designer, Anna B. Sheppard; sound (Dolby/SDDS), Manfred Banach; sound designer/supervising sound editor, Glenn Freemantle; assistant director, Phil Booth; casting, Kate Dowd.
With: Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Sophie Nelisse, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, Barbara Auer, Levin Liam, Rainer Bock, Carina N. Wiese, Roger Allam. (English, German dialogue)

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The book thief, common sense media reviewers.

Emotional WWII drama explores loss, literacy, and love.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The movie, as with the book, has positive messages

Liesel is curious, kind, and willing to work hard

The violence ranges from the deaths of various cha

Rudy repeatedly asks for a kiss, and by the end of

Insults are used, but sometimes as terms of endear

One shot of an Apple computer and logo in the clos

Some adults smoke cigarettes.

Positive Messages

The movie, as with the book, has positive messages about the power of literacy and books; the importance of unconditional friendship; the relationship between parents and children; and the necessity of standing up for other people in need. The presence of Death also encourages the viewer not to squander their lives, because you never know when the end will arrive.

Positive Role Models

Liesel is curious, kind, and willing to work hard to learn how to read. Liesel's foster father Hans is patient, loving, and kind. He helps out Max when it would be much easier to denounce him, and he resists getting involved with the Nazi Party, even though it's the ruling government. Rosa comes off as harsh, but she does love Hans and Liesel and shows it in her own way. Rudy Steiner defends and protects Liesel.

Violence & Scariness

The violence ranges from the deaths of various characters to scenes of Nazis terrorizing Jews in front of their homes and businesses and other occasions. Every scene with a Nazi officer is fraught with anxiety, and the character deaths (or near deaths) will upset even adult viewers. There are also a couple of scenes of schoolyard bullying and fights. During a couple of bombing raids, the entire town evacuates and is worried, anxious and afraid. A Nazi officer strikes Liesel and then Hans.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Rudy repeatedly asks for a kiss, and by the end of the movie, when Rudy and Liesel are about 14, it's clear they have feelings for each other. One kiss.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Insults are used, but sometimes as terms of endearment and usually in German, like the expletives "Saumensch" and "Saukerl" ("dirty swine"), "Arschloch" ("a--hole"). Rosa often uses insults: "good-for-nothing"; "dreckigs" ("dirty"); "know-nothing," "stupid," and "idiot."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

One shot of an Apple computer and logo in the closing scene.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Book Thief is a historical drama set in WWII Germany based on the bestselling young-adult novel by Australian author Markus Zusak . There are many scenes of violence, from the way the Nazis treat Jews, to schoolyard fights, to recurring bomb threats. There are many character deaths and near-deaths that will affect even the most jaded of viewers, though there's almost no blood and zero gore. Language includes German insults that translate to "a--hole" and "dirty swine" as well as "stupid" and "idiot." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

Parents say (19)
Kids say (68)

Based on 19 parent reviews

Beauty and light in the face of darkness

You might have to explain some words to your children, what's the story.

THE BOOK THIEF, like the book on which it's based, is narrated by Death (Roger Allam), who explains that he rarely cares about the stories of the living, with the exception of young Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nelisse). In 1938, Liesel is shown on a train with her frightened mother (rumored to be a Communist) and sick little brother, who dies before they reach their small town destination. At his impromptu funeral, Liesel steals The Gravedigger's Handbook as a memento. She's soon delivered to childless foster parents, gentle painter Hans ( Geoffrey Rush ) and abrasive laundress Rosa ( Emily Watson ). At home, Hans discovers the book and begins to teach Liesel how to read, and at school, Liesel befriends her neighbor, the fast-running Rudy Steiner (Nico Liersch). Liesel's life changes even more when Hans and Rosa agree to hide a young Jewish man, Max (Ben Schnetzer), in their basement. Liesel, now a voracious reader, forms a sweet secret friendship with Max -- but as the war progresses, all of them are put in danger again and again.

Is It Any Good?

The film may not steal your heart quite as powerfully as Zusak's novel, but it is faithful enough to show moviegoers why the characters are so beloved. Take Rudy, he's a "boy with hair the color of lemons" who doesn't care that his Olympic idol Jesse Owens is black -- he just wants to run fast and convince Liesel to give him a kiss. Then there's Max, who shows Liesel how to resist hate, and who paints over the pages of Mein Kampf to give Liesel a place for her words. And class actors Rush and Watson are fabulous as the bickering but loving Hubermanns, who really love their new daughter. This is a movie that will make you cry, make you laugh, and make you hold your books close to your heart.

Markus Zusak 's novel is unforgettable: How many books are narrated by Death? The movie doesn't pull off the Death narration quite as seamlessly as the novel (plus, Allam's voice is stereotypically deep and knowing), but the at-times heartbreaking story will still resonate with viewers, who will grow to love young plucky Liesel. Nelisse is lovely as the curious Liesel, who despite losing her entire immediate family, is open to love -- whether it's from her parents, her new friend Max, or her best friend Rudy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the importance of literacy and books. How does learning to read change Liesel's life? Why does she "steal" books? How can books make an impact on even a horrible situation?

What makes a movie or a book "young adult" -- the age of the protagonist, the intended audience, or something else?

How is this movie different from others about WWII? Do you believe there were Germans who weren't fond of the Nazi regime or of Hitler's anti-semitic laws?

In the movie, like the book, Death is the narrator, but he doesn't reveal things the same way. What did you think of the narrator in the movie? For those who've read the book, did you like and understand the changes between the page and screen versions?

Movie Details

In theaters : November 8, 2013
On DVD or streaming : March 11, 2014
Cast : Emily Watson , Geoffrey Rush , Sophie Nelisse
Director : Brian Percival
Inclusion Information : Female actors
Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
Genre : Drama
Topics : Book Characters , Friendship , History
Run time : 125 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : some violence and intense depiction of thematic material
Last updated : March 12, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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The Book Thief

By Peter Travers

Peter Travers

If there can be such a thing as a sweet, reflective fable about death and the Holocaust, The Book Thief is it. Based on the bestseller by Markus Zusak, the film tells the story of Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse), a young girl left in the care of foster parents Hans Hubermann (Geoffrey Rush) and his strict laundress wife, Rosa (Emily Watson). It’s gentle Hans who teaches the illiterate Liesel how to read. Since the story is set in Nazi Germany, you can see what’s coming when good Christian Hans takes in Max Vandenburg (Ben Schnetzer), a Jewish boy whose father saved Hans during World War I. Hidden in the basement (a distinct allusion to Anne Frank’s attic), Max is read to by Liesel, who steals books from the library of a local bürgermeister. A bond grows, and some valuable and scary life lessons are learned.

The simplicity of Michael Petroni’s script seems a drawback at first. But skilled director Brian Percival ( Downton Abbey ) slowly, effectively tightens the vise as evil intrudes into the life of this child. Rush, an actor of unerring grace and grit, gives a touching, vital performance. He doesn’t shout. Neither does the film. Its grieving heart is never in question.

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Movie Review: The Book Thief (2013)

Howard Schumann
Movie Reviews
4 responses
--> December 21, 2013

The Book Thief (2013) by The Critical Movie Critics

An unbreakable bond.

Like René Clément’s “ Forbidden Games ,” British director Brian Percival’s The Book Thief focuses on the effect of war on children who are forced by circumstances into coping with events beyond their capacity to understand. Written by Michael Petroni and based on the novel by Australian author Markus Zusak, it is a story told with power and conviction about the Nazi’s systematic attempts to destroy learning and culture in Germany during World War II. It is not a film about the Holocaust per se but about how the war impacted ordinary citizens in a small working class German town where people were compelled to support the Nazi cause most likely without knowing about the concentration camps and the Nazi genocide.

Like the book, the film is narrated by “Death” (voice of Roger Allam), though he is never identified as such. It is a risky device that could have been mawkish but, in the context of the film which is mainly geared to young adults, provides some humor and softens the disturbing events seen on the screen. Liesel Meminger, in a superb performance by French-Canadian actress Sophie Nélisse (“ Monsieur Lazhar “), is a young girl of eleven who is adopted by surrogate parents after her mother, ostensibly a Communist, abandons her for unstated reasons, though they can be easily guessed. The family was also expecting Liesel’s younger brother but, sadly, he died of an unexplained cause during their long train ride.

Liesel’s new foster parents, the Hubermanns, are very different from each other. Hans (Geoffrey Rush), a housepainter who has refused to join the Nazi Party and has suffered economically for it, is warmer and more immediately accepting than his wife Rosa (Emily Watson), who appears cold and brusque. As the political climate worsens, the family observes the Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), a state-approved violent outburst in November, 1938 against Jewish businesses and synagogues in both Germany and Austria, an event that resulted in the murder of hundreds and the forced deportation of 300,000 German Jews to concentration camps.

Upset at the taunting she has to endure at school because of her illiteracy, Hans, who plays the accordion to stay calm, begins to teach Liesel to read, using the basement walls as a blackboard. Studying the only book she has, The Grave Digger’s Handbook which she stole at her brother’s funeral, stimulates in her a passion for reading. After seeing Liesel save a book from the fire after a Nazi book-burning ceremony, the burgomaster’s wife, Ilsa Hermann (Barbara Auer) who Liesel works for as a laundress, invites her into her home to see the vast library put together by her now deceased son. Her visits become an important part of her life until she is thrown out by Ilsa’s fanatical husband, losing an important source of income in the process.

A new avenue is opened for learning, however, when Hans allows Max (Ben Schnetzer) to hide out in their basement, repaying a debt owed to the boy’s father for saving his life during World War I. As Max lies ill, recuperating from his injuries, Liesel reads to him from books that she takes from Ilsa’s library. In reciprocation, Max shows Liesel the path to becoming a writer by stimulating the use of her imagination. In addition to her relationship with Max, Liesel has also become friends with Rudy Steiner (Nico Liersch) a fair haired German classmate who is ridiculed at school because of his admiration for the black track star, Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics.

Though they both have to wear hated Nazi youth uniforms, they are aligned on their hatred of the Führer. Though John Williams score adds to the appeal of The Book Thief , Percival avoids the temptation of heart-tugging sentimentality, allowing whatever tears are evoked by the film’s emotional climax to be fully earned. Contrary to the specious arguments of some critics that The Book Thief is “Disneyfied” and makes light of the Nazi crimes, it is a perfect film for young people to learn about the dangers of an authoritarian government and to appreciate the value of the written word and the importance of culture and knowledge in a civilized society.

Tagged: daughter , Nazi , novel adaptation , WWII

I am a retired father of two living with my wife in Vancouver, B.C. who has had a lifelong interest in the arts.

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'Movie Review: The Book Thief (2013)' have 4 comments

December 22, 2013 @ 12:18 am Jack Hogle

Read the book.

December 22, 2013 @ 11:53 am Eat the Lamb

I hated “The Reader” for its tackiness with the subject matter and I get the same hollow feeling in my stomach when I look at this. The Academy should eat it up though.

December 29, 2013 @ 8:33 pm Howard Schumann

So I take it you haven’t seen it? Nothing tacky about it.

January 2, 2014 @ 2:16 pm Eat the Lamb

I haven’t. My comment was based off of first impressions.

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DVD & Streaming

The Book Thief

Drama , War

Content Caution

In Theaters

November 8, 2013
Geoffrey Rush as Hans Hubermann; Emily Watson as Rosa Hubermann; Sophie Nélisse as Liesel Meminger; Nico Liersch as Rudy Steiner; Ben Schnetzer as Max Vandenburg; Roger Allam as Narrator/Death

Home Release Date

March 11, 2014
Brian Percival

Distributor

20th Century Fox

Movie Review

“Words are life.”

That’s what Max, the young Jewish man the Hubermanns keep hidden in the basement, tells Liesel one day. And she believes him with all her heart. There’s something about books, with all their stories and lessons, that maintain and buoy Liesel’s spirit. They keep her going.

They kept Max going too. She would read to him every day as he struggled to stay alive and make it through his sickness in that damp basement.

When Liesel stops to think about it, it’s amazing how far she’s come with life and books in just the last few years. When she first showed up at Hans and Rosa Hubermann’s front doorstep, she was but an illiterate 11-year-old with little hope. Her younger brother had just died and her Communist mother was rumored to be running for her life.

The Nazis are in power in Germany. And little girls who like to read books aren’t faring very well.

The kind Hans did help Liesel feel welcome. He even struck a bargain with her: They would help each other learn to read. (Even though Liesel was pretty sure he knew more than he was saying.)

Since then she has learned so much. She made a good friend in Rudy, the boy next door. And she even gained access to a small library, a rather rare thing since book burnings are the order of the day. But the local bürgermeister’s wife, Frau Hermann, let Liesel secretly read the books in her late son’s personal library during weekly laundry deliveries.

Papa Hans then created a homemade dictionary―painted right on the walls of the basement―where Liesel could write down all the new words she encountered.

Of course, soon enough, the dank basement was needed for another purpose. Max’s father had once saved Hans’ life, and so Papa was honor-bound to help the young, sickly refugee when he showed up in the dead of night, never mind the danger. And as Liesel gets to know the Jewish man, she realizes that protecting him is really the only choice.

For there are some things you protect at any cost―life, friendship, love, honor and, yes, words.

Positive Elements

This story of average German citizens suffering under the heel of a vicious Nazi boot produces many positives messages. And centrally, the film portends that even in the worst of times, there are good people who will give of themselves to help others. It maintains that such simple actions change everything.

Hans is such a man. Even though he and his wife initially take in Liesel for a government allowance, he quickly sees that she is heartbroken (over the loss of her family) and does everything he can to make her feel loved and welcome. Hans becomes a fond, caring father to the girl―helping her to read and teaching her of honor and love―and she easily takes to calling him Papa. Even his storm cloud of a thundering wife, Rosa, eventually shows that there’s a hidden tenderness beneath her gruff exterior.

Later, when Max stumbles to the door, Hans readily takes in the persecuted Jew, protecting and hiding him in spite of the Nazi threats. Hans impresses upon his “daughter,” “a person is only as good as their word.”

Liesel attaches herself to Max, reading him book after book to try to keep him alive. In return, Max encourages Liesel’s love of words―creating a book in which she can use her wealth of new words to express her feelings and perceptions.

Hans and Liesel also use their gifts―he with an accordion, she with stories―to comfort frightened townsfolk in an air raid shelter.

[ Spoiler Warning ] When Max chooses to leave his hiding place in order to spare Liesel and her new family from harm, Hans wonders aloud how much their months of struggle actually meant. Liesel replies. “Maybe we were just being people. That’s what people do.” Later we find out that he needn’t have worried; that their efforts on Max’s behalf were the very thing that saved his life.

Spiritual Elements

The narrator is Death. He never makes reference to his spiritual nature except to say that he stands apart from flesh and blood humans and fulfills his job of collecting their souls when their time comes. He sometimes marvels over the goodness or the character of the people he collects, and he reports a few of their final thoughts. In one instance, he talks of a man looking up into the night sky and “thanking God for the stars that blessed his eyes.”

In times of great stress, Hans cries out, “God in heaven!” and, “Christ on a cross, what have I done?”

Sexual Content

Violent content.

We see several wartime bombings and their aftermath. A truck full of soldiers is hit and flipped onto its roof. Bodies are strewn in the rubble of a demolished village street. (They all look as if they fell asleep after getting very dirty.) The Nazis smash shop windows and drag people into the streets where they kick and punch them. When the Nazis drag one man away, Hans openly challenges them, asking for a reason—and an officer pushes him to the ground, slamming his head against the paving stones.

When Liesel’s young brother dies, she spots a small trickle of blood coming from his nose. Schoolmate Franz bullies Rudy and Liesel on several occasions, usually through pushing and shoving meanness. Liesel gets into a full-fledged fight with him, driving him to the ground and pummeling him repeatedly. She also falls and rips the skin from her shin. An angry neighbor drags Liesel’s friend Rudy to his front door by the ear.

Crude or Profane Language

One “h‑‑‑” and three or four careless interjections of “oh my god.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Other negative elements.

Rosa initially appears to be a rather foul individual, calling Liesel “stupid and dirty.” Many of the local kids support that idea, calling the young girl names such as “dummkopf” when they learn she can’t read or spell. Not that the Nazi leadership would care. They’d rather destroy books than read them, and they hold regular book-burning ceremonies they say will free the populace from “intellectual dirt.” (Liesel snatches The Invisible Man back from the flames.)

Liesel sneaks into a house to steal/borrow several books.

“I make it a policy to avoid the living,” Death tells us as he makes his way through the movie’s opening narration. “I don’t know what it was about Liesel, but she caught me … and I cared.” And with that, Death points us to a young, emotionally wounded girl we can’t help but also care for.

Based on a best-selling novel penned by Australian author Markus Zusak and now translated into 30 different languages, The Book Thief isn’t a bombastic slaughter-of-war pic as much as it’s a movie about the intimate agonies of life on the outside edges of war―the pains, hungers and worries of children and families and loved ones. Director Brian Percival (best known for his work on the Downton Abbey television series) gives the film a steady, deliberately slow pace, which makes the generally quiet, dramatic scenes of loss or small victory take on an even stronger sense of force and importance.

This isn’t an easy film to live with. Death tells us that he was very productive at his job during the story’s years of 1938 to 1945. And even though we don’t witness the true gruesomeness of it all, the weight and misery of war and Jewish persecution is a heavy cinematic burden to bear.

But what this film and its young protagonist do best in the midst of that wretchedness is to help us see just how logical and possible it would have been for mostly good people to be horribly changed, in small incremental ways, by the Nazi agenda that surrounded them. A book-burning rally could seem normal and cheer-worthy with the right speech or setting. And it’s only certain individuals―such as our young Liesel who surreptitiously grabs a smoldering book from the pile, or a father wondering aloud why a “good neighbor” is being taken away―who give us an anchor. They remind us of how misguided and malevolent State group-think can corrupt and steal away what’s most precious to us. Our freedom. Our morality. Our compassion.

And they remind us that we don’t have to succumb. That we mustn’t.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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The book thief.

75 Slant Magazine R. Kurt Osenlund Slant Magazine R. Kurt Osenlund Books themselves become the story's key symbol, representing the past and future, loss and possibility, of a place that's ground zero for some of history's darkest days.
75 New York Post Lou Lumenick New York Post Lou Lumenick Overall, it’s engaging and serves its young audience well — a rare Holocaust movie that doesn’t strain to become Oscar bait.
75 Rolling Stone Peter Travers Rolling Stone Peter Travers The simplicity of Michael Petroni’s script seems a drawback at first. But skilled director Brian Percival (Downton Abbey) slowly, effectively tightens the vise as evil intrudes into the life of this child.
70 Variety Dennis Harvey Variety Dennis Harvey The Book Thief has been brought to the screen with quiet effectiveness and scrupulous taste by director Brian Percival and writer Michael Petroni.
67 Entertainment Weekly Adam Markovitz Entertainment Weekly Adam Markovitz It would make for a pretty ghastly pageant if not for smart, understated turns by Watson and Geoffrey Rush as the charmingly Teutonic couple who rescue both Liesel and a stranded Jew (Ben Schnezter) — not to mention the movie itself — with honorable matter-of-factness.
67 The A.V. Club Ben Kenigsberg The A.V. Club Ben Kenigsberg "Life Is Beautiful" may or may not have set a benchmark for tackiness in Holocaust cinema, but The Book Thief offers a hypothetical way in which the former might have been worse: At least it wasn’t narrated by Death.
60 New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman The movie’s strong sense of empathy, enhanced by several noteworthy performances, ought to engage most viewers.
50 Film.com Jordan Hoffman Film.com Jordan Hoffman An embarrassing gut-punch of unfiltered schmaltz, but its sympathy for the devil-style humanism is well-meaning.
50 The Playlist Kevin Jagernauth The Playlist Kevin Jagernauth The Book Thief covers a large span of time, but the film's episodic nature, often moving from one incident to the next with little time to pause or reflect, often obscures that fact and hinders an evocation of the cumulative effect the war has on the psyche of not just the Hubermanns, but their neighbors, too.
40 Time Out Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Joshua Rothkopf Where the book had a kernel of intellectual irony to it — words betray a nation — this drama goes shamelessly for the heart.
See all 31 reviews on Metacritic.com
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The Book Thief, film review: Dark material but this film plays like a typical coming-of-age story

(12a) brian percival, 133 mins starring: geoffrey rush, emily watson, sophie nélisse, ben schnetzer, nico liersch, article bookmarked.

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Sentimental education: Sophie Nélisse and Geoffrey Rush in ‘The Book Thief’

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The Book Thief is a handsomely mounted but strangely pitched adaptation of Markus Zusak's 2005 novel about a young girl in Nazi Germany. The accents grate. Dialogue here is delivered in English but with a Germanic twang and a few German words ("nein!") thrown into the mix. Much of the material is very dark indeed but even against the backcloth of the Holocaust, the film plays like a typical coming-of-age story.

Our narrator is Death himself, voiced by the well-spoken (and non-Germanic) Roger Allam. He is looking down from above the clouds on the trials of the young protagonists. Sophie Nélisse is very impressive as the youthful heroine Liesel Meminger, who at the beginning of the film loses her beloved brother and is given up to impoverished foster parents (Emily Watson and Geoffrey Rush).

The film-making style seems disconcertingly glossy given the downbeat themes. There is picturesque imagery of steam-belching trains crossing snowy landscapes and of kids playing in the streets. We see beatific- looking children singing in school choirs even as Nazis are smashing windows and burning books in the streets nearby. The swirling John Williams score and unabashed sentimentality don't help a film that would surely have benefitted from taking a tougher approach.

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Beetlejuice 2 Finally Explains A Gross Detail From Lydia’s Original Wedding Scene

Every mad max movie, ranked worst to best, why the harkonnen planet is black & white in dune, moviegoers who appreciate films for quality acting, immersive period settings, as well as a healthy dose of humor within a heartbreaking drama, will likely find the book thief delivers..

The Book Thief , based on the novel by Markus Zusak, follows the story of adolescent "Book Thief" Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse) during the time of Nazi Germany. After tragedy strikes her family, Liesel is adopted by kind-hearted working-class painter Hans Hubermann (Geoffrey Rush) and his strict but loving wife Rose (Emily Watson). Despite forging a fast friendship with neighbor boy Rudy Steiner (Nico Liersch), Liesel is teased by her classmates on the first day of school for being illiterate. As a result, Hans commits to teaching his adopted daughter to read and write - at a time when the Nazis have begun outlawing most literary works.

Liesel settles into her life with the Hubermanns, attending school and relishing whatever books she can get her hands on, until a mysterious Jewish man, Max Vandenburg (Ben Schnetzer), with ties to Hans' past, appears at the house one night. On the verge of death and hunted by the Nazis, the Hubbermans offer Max refuge. Over the coming months Liesel and the young man bond over the power of words; however, as World War II begins and Adolf Hitler's forces stoke anti-Axis allies, life for the Hubbermans, their guest, and the titular Book Thief, becomes increasingly perilous.

The second feature film (not counting several TV movies) from director Brian Percival, The Book Thief is an impactful historical drama with captivating performances from its main cast - especially adolescent leading lady Sophie Nélisse. Still, while Percival captures intriguing juxtapositions from Nazi Germany (ex. a children's choir singing about the inferiority of non-Germans), the feature film glosses over many of the book's intricacies as well as the horror of the larger Nazi-led genocide. At times, The Book Thief adaptation is a mixed bag, successfully capturing the complexities of the time with personal stories of Germans who were not complicit in Hitler's agenda, whereas other scenes are painted in extremely broad strokes that reduce multi-faceted social issues into one-note caricature.

Given the best selling novel source material, moviegoers shouldn't be surprised that the core Book Thief story is riveting - full of interesting characters and encounters that provide plenty of room for high caliber actors to shine. Unfortunately, the 131 minute runtime causes a bizarre jumble of content - including some of the book's richest ideas but failing to explore many beyond surface level plot points. Given the reach (and depth) of the source material, Percival was clearly pressed to include as much as he could - but the film falls short in several of its most important efforts.

Plot beats are rushed through the pipeline so quickly that there's barely time to miss, or feel the absence of, characters that are stolen off to war - or the relief that comes with finding out a periled character is actually safe. The relationship between Liesel and Max, especially, is reduced down to a few sweet moments, but in spite of the pair's chemistry onscreen, the friendship is extremely rushed and unearned - making it hard to understand the bond that the movie tells (but does not show) the audience exists between the two.

Nevertheless, The Book Thief cast is not to blame for any shortages in the onscreen drama. Nélisse is impeccable as Liesel - presenting subtle nuance and exemplifying the mix of fear and uncertainty that haunted even German citizens during Hitler's reign. Despite a somewhat thin look at the greater implications of WWII, Percival excels at offering a diverse range of human moments that attempt to show a more intimate side of everyday people living under the ever-suspicious eye of the Nazi-regime. Many of these dramatic scenes excel because of Nélisse's talent - as she consistently bumps into abrasive Nazi ideologies but is not in a position to publicly showcase her discontent. Instead, Nélisse presents Liesel's beliefs through delicate scenes of honor and courage - which, regardless of the subdued approach, make for impressive and emotional drama.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Nélisse is surrounded by an accomplished stable of actors - especially Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson as Liesel's foster parents. Rush brings his usual command of humor and dramatic authority, making Hans one of the most likable and sympathetic characters in the film, even though he isn't altered much by his various experiences. Conversely, Watson's Rose steals several key encounters - as viewers will be endeared to the buttoned-up mother figure as unfolding events chip away at her no-nonsense demeanor. In fact, the scenes where Rose manages to forget the troubles of the neighborhood, her family, and the ever-persistent state of danger, to let go and join with Hans and Liesel in a fleeting moment of levity are some of the film's most enchanting (and cathartic) sequences.

Supporting players, especially Nico Liersch, as Liesel's best friend Rudy, are also solid in their roles - with Liersch owning several of The Book Thief 's most insightful and comedic exchanges. Ben Schnetzer, portraying Jewish refugee Max, is also a strong, albeit underutilized, addition - who enjoys a much more prominent role in the book - and is mostly relegated to near-death duty (as well as a few witty exchanges with Liesel) in the movie adaptation.

While the restricted scope of the film helps to tell the main Book Thief storyline, the movie falls short of developing many of the presented events beyond interconnected, but mostly surface-level, displays of exposition and tension. Moviegoers who appreciate films for quality acting, immersive period settings, as well as a healthy dose of humor within a heartbreaking drama, will likely find The Book Thief delivers on all the necessary technical notes - exhibiting a rich series of historical fiction events. Yet, fans of the book itself (or those looking for a deeper exploration of WWII Germany) may find that outside the scene-to-scene drama very few relationships or thematic ideas are fully realized, since Percival relies on simply showing Nazi Germany and its citizens - instead of intimately exploring the setting and people through unique or particularly memorable insight.

If you’re still on the fence about The Book Thief , check out the trailer below:

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The Book Thief runs 131 minutes and is Rated PG-13 for some violence and intense depiction of thematic material. Now playing in theaters.

Let us know what you thought of the film in the comment section below.

Follow me on Twitter @ benkendrick for future reviews, as well as movie, TV, and gaming news.

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Movie Reviews
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The Book Thief Review

26 Feb 2014

131 minutes

Book Thief, The

What happens to movies primarily positioned and designed to find favour in awards season that don’t quite make the grade? The Book Thief must have looked good for gongs on paper: based on an acclaimed populist novel (by Markus Zusak), historically significant subject matter (World War II) and strong acting credentials (Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson) all pointed to a night of glory on March 2. But Brian Percival’s film, while engaging and handsome, doesn’t quite have the depth or fizz to take its place among the Gravitys and 12 Years A Slaves.

The USP of Zusak’s novel is that the story of young Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse), and the residents of the ironically named Heaven Street in war-torn Germany, is narrated by Death. Here represented by a Roger Allam voiceover and some rolling clouds, an approach that doesn’t quite fly. Instead, the film’s episodic storytelling introduces us in slow-ish, deliberate strokes, and is better at the illiterate Liesel’s growing passion for words and evincing her attempts to comprehend the incomprehensible, from book burnings to the way neighbourhoods get divided through blind obedience and fear.

Percival, best known for marshalling the upstairs/downstairs of Downton Abbey, invests the events with a similar elegance and élan, but its tasteful restraint is part of the problem. It lacks the grit and the grime of truth, the nicely mounted set-pieces — a decidedly un-suspenseful Nazi house-to-house search, a child in an icy river — never getting the heart pumping, the dynamics and relationships failing to engage the emotions.

Still, Percival gets good value from his cast. If not one of those child actors who blows you away, Nélisse captures both a sense of loneliness and resilience. She has strong scenes with Rush, who gets a rare chance to embody an ordinary, decent man — he is the heart and humour of the picture.

Sophie Nelisse Is The Great Gilly Hopkins

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Review: ‘The Book Thief’ robs the truth from an evil time

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“The Book Thief,” the handsome, inevitable adaptation of Markus Zusak’s internationally bestselling novel, unfolds as a curiosity on the big screen.

Centered on a war-afflicted girl who develops a passion for books, it features little discussion of the emotional pull of reading, storytelling or writing. It’s set in Hitler-run, World War II-era Germany with an odd emphasis on uplift over unease. And, most peculiarly, it’s a tale narrated by Death (a slithery-sounding Roger Allam) that wants tears shed for tragedies that befall its big-hearted non-Jewish German characters, but skirts explicitly addressing the fate of that generation’s Jews.

Perhaps this is all in the name of family-friendly, child’s-perspective entertainment. But what director Brian Percival and screenwriter Michael Petroni serve up is just another tasteful, staid Hollywoodization of terribleness, in which a catastrophic time acts as a convenient backdrop for a wishful narrative rather than the springboard for an honest one.

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That our protagonist Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) is a product of hardship isn’t in question: The movie opens with her younger brother dying just before the illiterate, curly-haired 11-year-old is dropped off with her new foster parents — avuncular accordion-player Hans Hubermann (Geoffrey Rush, all winks and paternal smiles) and his stern-faced wife, Rosa (Emily Watson, severe until sweet). But over a series of vignettes in the fictional town of Molching that span from 1938 to the war’s end, Liesel remains a carefully manufactured, doe-eyed innocent for whom being good is obvious, even when she has to wear a Hitler Youth uniform.

The movie’s emotional thread is that acts of kindness can happen anywhere. (Especially if you don’t show or explain those other acts.) Hans teaches Liesel to read, and turns their basement walls into a dictionary canvas for learned words. At a nighttime book-burning led by the hate-spouting Burgomeister, Liesel snatches a charred tome from the fire after everyone has left.

The Burgomeister’s wife, her psyche softened by witnessing this, invites Liesel to peruse her enormous library. Later, Liesel pilfers books from them to read to an ailing young Jewish fugitive named Max (Ben Schnetzer), whom the Hubermanns begin hiding in their basement as repayment for Max’s father saving Hans’ life during the Great War. The chain of goodness continues when the blond neighbor boy Rudy (Nico Liersch) finds out about Max but doesn’t blab. In fact, he dives into a freezing river to retrieve one of Liesel’s prized possessions, a book that Max has given her.

On the set: movies and TV

The book is “Mein Kampf,” its text cheekily obliterated by Max with white paint. He’s implored Liesel to write her (presumably nicer) story over it. It’s the movie’s big metaphor — overpower bad words with good words — but a squishy one considering the book burning scene earlier. Isn’t there benefit to being educated about ugliness too?

Why is “The Book Thief” set in Nazi-occupied Germany, then, if it won’t engage with the era’s shattering momentousness?

As a showcase for accomplished performers tugging heart strings in a holiday awards season, it’s perfectly serviceable, like an episode of the crowd-pleasing “Downton Abbey,” which Percival also directs. But when Death claims in the epilogue to be “haunted by humans,” he’s clearly been watching something other than “The Book Thief.”

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‘The Book Thief’

MPAA rating: PG-13 for some violence and intense depiction of thematic material

Running time: 2 hours, 11 minutes

Playing: At the Landmark Theatre, West Los Angeles, and the ArcLight Hollywood

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Booklover Book Reviews

The Book Thief: Book & Movie Review + Quotes, Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, first published in 2005, has gone on to become an international bestseller and a modern classic. We explain why, discuss the movie adaptation of this novel and share some memorable book quotes. Read on for our comprehensive review.

The Book Thief Book Summary

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - Book Cover - Death in snow

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger and her younger brother are being taken by their mother to live with a foster family outside Munich. Liesel’s father was taken away on the breath of a single, unfamiliar word – Kommunist – and Liesel sees the fear of a similar fate in her mother’s eyes. On the journey, Death visits the young boy, and notices Liesel. It will be the first of many near encounters. By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery.

So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up, and closed down.

Genre: Literature, Historical, Drama, Action-Adventure

Disclosure: If you click a link in this post we may earn a small commission to help offset our running costs.

BOOK REVIEW

I had this widely acclaimed novel by Australian author Markus Zusak on my to-be-read list on my Kindle for an embarrassingly long time. Why? Probably because The Book Thief is almost 600 pages long and classified as ‘young adult’ fiction, a genre I am not normally drawn to. I had also read so many rave reviews that I must admit I was a little sceptical. Could a book about The War really be that original?

The answer is – it certainly can.

Who narrates The Book Thief?

Markus Zusak’s decision to cast Death as the narrator was an absolute master-stroke. But Zusak’s Death is not the one-dimensional character we are used to. This Death has a heart and an ironic sense of humour. In my humble opinion, an author that can make his audience feel empathy for Death has a special talent.

‘Where are my manners? I could introduce myself properly, but it’s not really necessary. You will know me well enough and soon enough, depending on a diverse range of variables. It suffices to say that at some point in time, I will be standing over you, as genially as possible. Your soul will be in my arms. A colour will be perched on my shoulder. I will carry you gently away.’

Compelling themes

The Book Thief takes place in Munich, Germany on the eve of and then during WWII, and Markus Zusak presents the very human side of war, the strength of individuals and the many complex reasons for their actions.

I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sandcastles, houses of cards, that’s where they begin. Their great skill is their capacity to escalate.

This important message is conveyed in a format, that anyone, the young or the old of any culture cannot help but identify with and feel empathy for – the plight of a child.

Memorable characters

That child is Leisel Meminger – a damaged but strong-willed and immensely likeable young girl that displays wisdom beyond her years. She does not judge a book, nor people, by their covers.

The true gifts in this novel that make it so difficult to put down are the special relationships Leisel develops with the wonderful ensemble cast of characters from all walks of life. Particularly charming and compelling is her close friendship with neighbour Rudy Steiner and the various acts of mischief they get up to while the threat of war and societal discord builds around them.

With this tale Markus Zusak reminds us of the extraordinary power of the written word – that books of themselves are so much more than paper and glue.

It didn’t really matter what the book was about. It was what it meant that was important.

The Book Thief should be required reading in schools. I certainly wish I had read it sooner. It will become, if it is not already, a modern-day classic.

BOOK RATING: The Story 5 / 5 ; The Writing 5 / 5

UPDATE: We have since also enjoyed Markus Zusak’s long-awaited new novel Bridge of Cla y .

Get your copy of The Book Thief from:

Amazon Bookshop (US) Booktopia (AU)

* Although I read this novel on Kindle, I recommend reading it in hard copy. Key elements of the story are presented in pictures which would be easier to read in that format.

Detailed plot summary, character maps, quotes and other useful study materials for this novel are available at CourseHero .

About the Author, Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak ( born 23 June 1975 ) is an Australian author specialising in the young adult genre. This, his number one international best selling novel, has been translated into more than 30 languages.

The Book Thief Movie Review

Bravo to the creators and cast of The Book Thief movie ! They have proven to me that it is possible to do a book justice in film.

Yes, the cast was generally much better looking than those I’d conjured up in my mind while reading, but that didn’t hurt 😉

Yes, since I knew when the sad parts were coming I was a blubbering mess.

And yes, for the same reasons, I could not stop myself from cataloguing what was interpreted slightly differently and what small pieces of the novel were omitted from the screenplay.

But the key thing is, whenever the movie adaption deviated slightly from the novel, I understood and appreciated why. It conveys the key themes powerfully while maintaining much of Zusak’s original artistry. If I could have tweaked one thing, I would have utilised even more of the original narrative musings from Death (some of my favourite passages in the novel).

Wonderful performances by Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson, and you couldn’t get much sweeter (and very talented) portrayals of the characters ‘Leisel’ and ‘Rudy’ by Sophie Nélisse and Nico Liersch.

The mirroring of humanity within the novel is so important (the reason I believe the novel should be required reading in schools) and so I am heartened that this movie adaptation brings that message to an even wider audience.

The Book Thief Quotes

There are so many wonderful quotes within this novel. Here are a few more of my favourites:

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” – The Book Thief

Quote - The words were on their way and she would wring them out like rain.

“The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.” – The Book Thief

Book Quote - It's hard to not like a man who not only notices the colors, but speaks them ― Markus Zusak

“A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.” – The Book Thief

Other reviews of The Book Thief

“Unsettling, thought-provoking, life-affirming, triumphant and tragic, this is a novel of breathtaking scope, masterfully told. It is an important piece of work, but also a wonderful page-turner. ” — The Guardian

“It is difficult to imagine how The Book Thief could be anything but depressing, but Zusak illuminates the novel with scenes of brilliance. Small triumphs are made all the more beautiful by his prose. Childlike play is turned into something greater, a snowball fight in the basement is more than a frigid mock battle—it’s a moment that borders on magical. Again and again, Zusak’s characters strive to see the beauty in the world, bringing shards of happiness into the darkest, dirtiest corners.” — LiteraryTraveler

“This big, expansive novel is a leisurely working out of fate, of seemingly chance encounters and events that ultimately touch, like dominoes as they collide. The writing is elegant, philosophical and moving. Even at its length, it’s a work to read slowly and savor. Beautiful and important.” — KirkusReviews

If you like the sound of The Book Thief, you may also enjoy reading: The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan / The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon / The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon / The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth / The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

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Book Reviews

A 19th-century bookbinder struggles with race and identity in 'the library thief'.

Keishel Williams

The examination of race and identity can be seen throughout literature, and increasingly today.

In her debut novel, The Library Thief , Kuchenga Shenjé explores these concepts — and the associated expectations that arise when society demands that every group be neatly categorized. Shenjé delves into the past in this work of historical fiction, posing inquiries about Black people's lives in the Victorian era.

In this 19th-century English story, Florence, an ambitious bookbinder, is expelled from her family home by her harsh and unforgiving father for being with a young man. Florence, a clever and savvy woman, persuades Lord Francis Belfield to let her stay at Rose Hall manor by promising to restore the priceless books in his library in time for an impending sale, assuring him that she is just as skilled as her father. Among Lord Belfield's minimal staff, Florence stands out as an educated, liberal woman.

But Florence is not as polished as she wants her new acquaintances to believe. Being raised by a single father and not knowing her mother, whom she was told is dead, has fostered an emptiness in Florence she thought she could fill with books. She's adrift and feels unloved. This fragile foundation is fertile ground for the harrowing experiences Florence faces during her stay at the manor.

Florence arrives at Rose Hall to find that Lord Banfeild's wife has died, and the new widower is beside himself with grief. Immediately, Florence finds herself in the middle of a tightly woven plot of family secrets and lies that conveniently shroud the lives of the upper class. She becomes fixated on Lady Persephone's death and starts investigating suspicious activities around it. During her investigation, she uncovers some dark Banfield family secrets, which include violence, abuse, and "passing" family members. This journey of discovery forces Florence to confront her own identity and the mysteries surrounding her life.

Some characters in this novel intentionally or unintentionally pass as white because they find it easier than living as a Black person in Victorian England. While the topic of "passing" is frequently explored in literature set in the 1920s and 30s, Shenjé delves into what it means to be a Black person passing in the 19th century. She explores this theme in multiple ways: One character completely abandons their family to live as a white man, another maintains contact with her family but uses her husband's wealth and influence to hide in plain sight, and the third, and perhaps most intriguing, character lives as a white person without knowing they were actually Black.

Florence is uncertain about her own race, and she passionately advocates for the rights of Black people. She often becomes offended by the viewpoints of her friends, neighbors, and even their pastor towards Black people. Florence grew up in a white community and had limited interactions with Black people, other than through books until she met Lady Persephone's lady's maid — a beautiful, charming, and highly educated Black woman. "How could a whole sector of humanity once viewed as animals now be writing books and teaching universities and the like? We had been lied to," she says after a particularly awful sermon propagating the inferiority of African people.

At times, Shenjé's use of language attempting at inclusivity fails to achieve what appears to be the intended effect. The discussion of gender roles in a highly complex way seems forced and unrealistic. This is especially so when such language and philosophizing are attributed to certain characters in particular.

While The Library Thief doesn't exactly break new ground when it comes to exploring issues of race and identity, it does have some entertaining elements. Wesley is a standout character who should have received more attention. If a movie adaptation of the character were ever to happen, Patrick Walshe McBride would be an excellent choice to play the part. Shenjé also did an fantastic job planting hints throughout the story that lead to the main character's true identity. The best part of the book is the unexpected twist at the end that ties up the murder mystery. Kudos to Shenjé for that surprise ending.

Keishel Williams is a Trinidadian American book reviewer, arts & culture writer, and editor.

The Thief Collector Review: A Fascinating Story Weighed Down by Speculation

This art heist documentary featuring Glenn Howerton has a great narrative at its core but takes its guesswork too far.

In an age of increasingly exploitative and gruesome true crime , The Thief Collector stands as a kind of antidote. Rather than detailing murder victims’ trauma for the masses, this crime documentary turns toward an art heist. Willem de Kooning was one of the most exciting American artists of the 20th Century, working among peers such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. In 1985, his painting, “Woman-Ochre,” was stolen from the University of Arizona Museum of Art; it was simply cut from its frame and taken away. Despite an investigation by the FBI, the painting couldn't be found as it wasn’t sold or displayed anywhere else.

After 35 years, “Woman-Ochre” was finally discovered at the estate sale of Rita and Jerry Alter, ostensibly (a frequently used word in the documentary) an unassuming couple in New Mexico. Director Allison Otto pieces together how and why this strange series of events came to be with the help of interviewees including an FBI team member, the people who discovered the painting, relatives of the Alters, and more. The narrative is given some color by hammed-up reenactments starring Glenn Howerton of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame and Sarah Minnich as Jerry and Rita.

Evidently, The Thief Collector has a great tale on its hands, and it backs this up with some creative storytelling choices. However, when the filmmakers go beyond fact-based discussion and into speculative territory, the documentary loses its way and its credibility.

A Set of Compelling Components

The Thief Collector works best when it’s recounting things we can be certain are true. Its description of how the art heist played out, and the subsequent discovery, is fascinating, and it’s a story unlike what we typically see. The interviewees are all excellent and confident speakers, so they are easy to trust and follow.

What’s key here is that their enthusiasm is conveyed well to the point that it carries through to the viewer. Even if a member of the audience isn’t well versed in art, or Willem de Kooning specifically, it’s still made clear how important this multi-million dollar painting is. Sometimes, documentaries are only interesting to those who are already invested in the subject, but there is enough combined passion and explanation that anyone can follow and care about this story.

Aside from the heist itself , one of the most gripping parts of the documentary is when we get to learn about Rita and Jerry themselves. Since the two had already passed away, their portrait is composed of their own photos and descriptions from people who knew them, such as family members and former students. While their lifestyle was largely simple (they were both teachers), what stands out is the amount of travel they did.

We are told that they wouldn’t take the usual week-long trips to the beach; they would stay in remote places for a month at a time, seeking out thrilling and even dangerous activities wherever they could. Their home photos and footage are fascinating to see and reminiscent of the recent Fire of Love , a similarly romantic documentary in this way. Rita and Jerry’s outward-facing personas were dedicated to each other, adventurous, and charismatic — it’s impossible not to be enthralled.

One of the most unique elements of The Thief Collector is its reenactments . Of course, these are common in documentaries in order to provide visual reference points for key events and to break up the interview format. But these can often feel poorly made and distract from an otherwise serious documentary. Here, the filmmakers lean into the contrived nature of these reenactments and aim for comedy instead of realism. Complete with obvious green screen use and a variety of fake mustaches, these reenactments stand out from the crowd. Choices like this show a clarity of vision and decisiveness from the filmmakers that is commendable.

Related: The Art of Documentary Podcast Is Interviewing Some of Today's Most Fascinating Filmmakers

Lack of Evidence Raises Concerns

Descriptions of the crime itself and Rita and Jerry as people take us about halfway through the 96-minute runtime, and this is where the documentary starts to go off the rails. With no more fact-based information about the couple to discuss, the narrative delves into speculation. It asks why a couple that seems so normal would do something so terrible and wonders what other crimes they must have committed. But with a shaky foundation and a lack of evidence to defend their extrapolations, it’s hard to go along with these moments of supposed revelation.

The narrative that we are given invites us to be shocked that school teachers who were beloved by their family and former students could do something like this, but this doesn’t align with the actual portrait that is painted of Rita and Jerry. Their house is filled with art, so that is evidently something of interest to them; they were described by their travel agent as “adrenaline junkies,” and the crime itself was simple: they walked in, distracted the guard, and took the painting. When you lay out the facts like this, it’s incredibly easy to believe that this was something they could do. While art theft, of course, isn’t a victimless crime, no one was physically harmed. It was a selfish act rather than a malicious one, and they didn’t have to resort to violence to achieve it.

So, when the documentary asks us to go along with its speculation, it’s difficult to join in when the facts we had just been shown contradict the following guesswork. Since the topic of an art heist is somewhat tame in comparison with the majority of true crime documentaries, it seems as though they are going for shock factor in order to compete, but the story just isn’t there. Documentaries such as Three Identical Strangers have gone down the stranger-than-fiction route successfully because they have truly shocking events to portray. When this works, the documentary can even feel more like a narrative feature . But The Thief Collector ’s story is more interesting than mind-blowing, and it would have been more successful if it had simply leaned into its strengths: a good story and an interesting central pair.

While the interviews chosen for the movie are excellently done, there is a gap where it would’ve been helpful to have a more authoritative voice on Rita and Jerry’s real selves. If there had been someone interviewed who really knew them, rather than relatives who rarely saw them and casual friends, there would have been less of a need for conjecture. Rita and Jerry’s children, a son and a daughter, are mentioned briefly in the documentary. We are told that there were very few pictures of the children in their home in comparison to pictures of themselves and that their son has “issues” and is unable to work. Hearing more about their relationship with their children, or even hearing from the children themselves, could have filled this gap.

Related: 9 Documentaries That Are Better Than the Movies About the Same Topic

Unbalanced Tone Topples Second Half

This attempt at forcing a sense of darkness on the narrative of the documentary is what makes the aforementioned campy reenactments sit at odds with the latter half of the movie. These scenes are light and fun and very deliberately positioning themselves to not be taken too seriously. So when we are invited to believe that Rita and Jerry are more sinister than they first appeared, we are still being shown these over-the-top depictions of their behavior and this makes it even harder to follow the trajectory of the documentary. There is a fatal mismatch of tone here.

In the end, the filmmakers approached this from the wrong angle, misunderstanding the material that they had. It’s clear from the direction of this story and the way that it has been promoted that they were aiming for audiences to be shocked and amazed by their findings, but the reality is that they didn’t truly find much.

This strategy comes at the cost of what was under their noses: an intriguing couple full of character who, in all likelihood, succeeded in stealing a multi-million dollar painting. This alone was enough for a great, entertaining documentary. But unfortunately, at best, what they ended up with is an interesting exploration of events both real and theorized. At worst, it’s unfair — bordering on dangerous — speculation about individuals who aren’t around to defend themselves.

From FilmRise, The Thief Collector will be released on demand on May 19th.

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One Tech Tip: Protecting your car from the growing risk of keyless vehicle thefts

FILE - A person walks through a parking lot at a shopping mall on Dec. 8, 2016 in King of Prussia, Pa. Many newer cars use wireless key fobs and push-button starters. The technology makes it more convenient to get into your vehicle, but it also makes things easier for thieves. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - Metropolitan Police Department Sgt. Anthony Walsh sets out steering wheel locks at an anti-crime event in Washington on Nov. 7, 2023. A physical lock that attaches to the steering wheel can act as a visible deterrent to car thieves. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)

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LONDON (AP) — They appear like ghosts in the night, standing outside your house, one holding up an antenna while the other crouches next to the car parked on the driveway. Within seconds, your car is gone, yet another victim amid a surge in auto theft enabled by the technology designed to make it easier to unlock and start vehicles.

Auto technology has evolved and many newer cars use wireless key fobs and push-button starters instead of traditional metal keys. The fob sends a short-range signal, so when the driver approaches the car, it automatically unlocks the door. This saves you the hassle of digging out your keys when you’ve got your hands full with groceries.

But that technology also makes things easier for thieves. The wireless fob will continue to emit a signal even if you’re not using it. Thieves prowl neighborhoods at night looking for cars parked outside so they can carry out so-called relay attacks. Using portable equipment that can pick up the faint signal from a fob inside the house or parking lot, they relay it back to a transmitter that can clone the signal.

Officials have urged carmakers to reduce the security vulnerabilities and warn owners about the risks.

FILE - Sean Kingston arrives at the 40th Anniversary American Music Awards on Sunday Nov. 18, 2012, in Los Angeles. A SWAT team raided rapper Kingston's rented South Florida mansion on Thursday, May 23, 2024, and arrested his mother on fraud and theft charges that an attorney says stems partly from the installation of a massive TV at the home. Broward County detectives arrested Janice Turner, 61, at the home in a well-off Fort Lauderdale, Fla., suburb. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

So what can you do to reduce the odds that your car will be gone in 60 seconds? “It’s relatively easy for drivers to protect themselves,” said Steve Launchbury, principal engineer of automotive security at Thatcham Research, a U.K.-based automotive risk intelligence company. Here are some tips:

USE A SIGNAL BLOCKER

A simple but effective way to stop auto bandits from purloining your key fob signal is to use a Faraday bag or pouch. They’re lined with a conductive metal mesh that blocks the transmission of electromagnetic signals.

The pouches aren’t expensive, and you can also get boxes that do the same thing. But experts advise testing to make sure they work. Just put the key fob inside and approach your car. If the doors don’t automatically unlock, then the signal is being blocked.

It’s also important to remember to use it whenever you leave your vehicle, and don’t forget to put all of your key fobs inside, including any spares.

But ignore some advice making the rounds on the internet telling you to put your fob in the microwave or freezer. It doesn’t have the same effect as a Faraday bag, and you risk damaging your key.

GET AN OLD-FASHIONED LOCK

Try an old-school solution by using a physical lock. Some police forces advise car owners to use them to make your vehicle look less tempting to steal. The reasoning is that a would-be thief might be deterred by the effort needed to cut through the lock and instead turn their attention to an easier target.

Locks, in the shape of a disk or a long bar, clamp onto the steering wheel and make it difficult to steer. There are also versions that prevent the car from being put in gear. The downside is you’ll need extra time to attach or remove it whenever you aren’t driving.

CHANGE UP YOUR SETTINGS

For many cars, it’s possible to deactivate the wireless setting so that you can’t open the door remotely. For Fords, Hondas and Audis, use the touchscreen menus. If you own a Toyota , you can temporarily disable the signal by holding down the fob’s lock button and at the same time pressing the unlock button twice. If you’ve done it correctly, the fob’s indicator light should blink four times. Be aware that the next time you press any button, remote unlocking will be reactivated.

The method will vary depending on make and model so consult your owner’s manual for the exact process. If it sounds complicated, there are YouTube videos that walk you through it. Don’t forget that in most cases you’ll now have to manually press the fob’s unlock button.

Automakers have started adding motion sensors to key fobs. If the sensor doesn’t detect recent movement because it’s been, say, left on the kitchen counter after you come home, the fob goes into sleep mode and stops transmitting. If it lacks this capability, check with your dealer whether it’s possible to upgrade it.

If you buy a used car, some experts also advise getting the keys reprogrammed, just in case the previous owner kept one of the fobs.

WATCH OUT FOR NEW METHODS

Researchers have uncovered a new auto theft technique that doesn’t target radio signals. The controller area network, or CAN, is “a feature of modern cars which allows different components and systems to communicate, (and) has recently been targeted and exploited by thieves,” said Thatcham’s Launchbury.

The network allows sensors and control modules to talk to each other directly, instead of going through a central node. Thieves take advantage by accessing the network from the car’s exterior, usually by removing a headlight and connecting a device that can “inject” a signal, tricking the car into unlocking and starting.

While automakers work on improving CAN security, “there are steps drivers can take today to add layers of security and deter criminals,” such as using a physical lock, Launchbury said.

Aftermarket electronic immobilizer systems “should render a criminal’s theft tool useless,” and might even get you a discount on auto insurance , he said. Thatcham and other companies offer them but the downside is they can be quite pricey.

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at [email protected] with your questions.

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Review: ‘Problems Between Sisters’ Puts a Spin on the Berserk Boys Club

Julia May Jonas turns the menacing male siblings of Sam Shepard’s “True West” into squabbling pregnant sisters in Vermont.

Two women are fighting. The one on the left, who is wearing a bathrobe, is pulling the hair of the woman on the right.

By Rhoda Feng

Reporting from Washington

When we first see Rory (Annie Fox) she is flaunting a septum piercing, cutoff jeans girdled by a rubber band, and a level of hygiene seemingly designed to repel anyone within her smell radius. She has hitchhiked her way to her aunt’s cozy cabin in Vermont, where her older sister, Jess (Stephanie Janssen), has been temporarily staying. Jess is also pregnant. And there the similarities ostensibly begin and end.

Whereas Rory takes pride in being a “transient outsider, raw and untrained,” in Julia May Jonas’s “ Problems Between Sisters ,” Jess is an emotionally Spanxed up, expensively shampooed and educated visual artist preparing for her first solo show.

Jess’s art dealer (Maya Jackson), visiting the cabin, is taken with Rory’s unorthodox “look” and, on the strength of zero pieces of original art, commissions a video from her. Rory, a lapsed multimedia artist, tries to rope her sister into helping her create a video “de-sainting the idea of the pregnant woman,” a project that may or may not involve nudity.

Cortisol-spiking chaos ensues.

Jonas’s play, directed by Sivan Battat at Studio Theater in Washington, was conceived as a “response” to Sam Shepard’s “True West.” “Problems Between Sisters” is one of five projected works in Jonas’s “ All Long True American Stories ” cycle, which reimagines canonical dramas by white male playwrights for “other people (mostly women).” Shepard’s 1980 play made hay of the fraternal rivalry between Austin, an Ivy-League-educated screenwriter, and Lee, a rough-hewed petty thief. After a producer greenlights an underbaked movie idea of Lee’s, the brothers attempt to write a passable script, only to dance a pas de doom.

The sneaky brilliance of “Problems Between Sisters” is that it doesn’t simply ask, “What if the brothers were sisters?” but rather the more complex question: “What if the sisters gave themselves permission to act as men do?” More precisely, what if women ceded control to their inner art monsters? The question has special resonance for Jess, who has toiled for 20 years to get that solo show.

Rory has a leg up on Jess in the chutzpah department and, as in “True West,” much of her badassery rubs off on her starchy sister over the course of the play’s fleet 100 minutes. A keyboard gets smashed, tables and chairs are overturned, food is spilled, weed is smoked and verbal hand grenades are hurled.

At the 11th hour, their aunt (the priceless Nancy Robinette, who played the mother in Arena Stage’s production of “True West” 20 years ago) shows up as a nonplused interloper in her own trashed house. Her all-too-brief, off-kilter asides — about, say, a woman’s decapitated head “lolling on the side of the road” or a cleaning solution that involves “the firstborn kitten of a three-legged cat” whisked with other ingredients — are among the show’s highlights. The two videos that the sisters create also inject a note of surreality into the play and recall Jonas’s 2022 play “Your Own Personal Exegesis,” about members of a church youth group.

Shepard once described “True West” as a play of “ double nature ”; the brothers, starting off as opposites, trade places. One production, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly, played with the notion of identity by having the actors switch roles on alternate nights.

It’s more difficult to imagine that happening with the “Problems” actors, who only occasionally deliver the gamma ray intensity that their roles call for. And while Jonas’s script amply accommodates the notion of the sisters as Jungian shadows of each other, neither Fox nor Janssen leaps with both feet into their alter egos. As a result, the play never edges toward a Shepardian conflagration of the American berserk. It ends in a standoff, with art monster facing art monster, neither giving way.

Problems Between Sisters Through June 16 at the Studio Theater, Washington, D.C.; studiotheatre.org . Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes.

The 21 movies we hated in 2023 — and how to watch them, if you must

You already know what the must-see movies are. Here are the ones to hate-watch.

Watching a good movie is great. But writing — or reading — about a bad one can sometimes be even more fun. Here are 21 of the year’s worst films: dreck that couldn’t even get two stars from our critics. A few of them are still in theaters. (How is that even possible?) The rest can be streamed, if you dare.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

“In ‘Quantumania,’ sprightly pacing and lighthearted humor have succumbed to the turgid seriousness that plagues so much of the comic book canon . Granted, Paul Rudd still projects irresistible likability as Scott Lang, the onetime thief who as Ant-Man is the tiniest member of the Avengers team. As ‘Quantumania’ opens, Scott is reading from his new memoir, ‘Look Out for the Little Guy,’ in a cheeky montage set to the theme from ‘Welcome Back, Kotter.’” — Ann Hornaday

Where to watch: Disney Plus

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

“The CGI varies wildly. Sometimes it’s like watching two different movies : one with a budget that would allow for vibrant creatures, diving headfirst into a brilliant new world, and another that looks like a sequel to 2007’s ‘Beowulf.’” — Olivia McCormack

Where to watch: In theaters

Cocaine Bear

“‘Cocaine Bear’ isn’t so much a movie as an idea — a synopsis, an elevator pitch, a thumbnail description: bear + cocaine — that has somehow metastasized into the collection of footage that arrived in theaters. … It’s the length of a feature film. You have to buy tickets to see it. It was directed by Elizabeth Banks. And it stars Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ray Liotta, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, all of whom are actual actors. But it isn’t really a movie.” — Michael O’Sullivan

Where to watch: Apple TV Plus , Google Play , Prime Video

“Spanish artist Salvador Dalí was a towering figure in 20th-century art history, as famous for his surrealist paintings as for his larger-than-life personality. So how, you might wonder, could a biopic about him — especially one starring Sir Ben Kingsley as the flamboyant provocateur with a paintbrush — be dull? Unfortunately, ‘DalíLand’ is just that. Directed by Mary Harron from a screenplay by John Walsh, the thoroughly unengaging film is a remarkable achievement, but only considering the misspent potential of its juicy source material.” — Pat Padua

Where to watch: Hulu

Fingernails

“The agony of love or, rather, of not knowing whether your beloved loves you (and, by corollary, whether you really love the one you’re with) is treated metaphorically in Christos Nikou’s ‘Fingernails,’ a fable that takes the kind of eccentric, delicate poetry of the filmmaker’s lovely first feature, ‘Apples,’ a meditation on grief, memory and identity, and hammers it into applesauce .” — Michael O’Sullivan

Where to watch: Apple TV Plus

Five Nights at Freddy’s

“Josh Hutcherson stars as Mike, a young man struggling to retain custody of his elementary-school-age sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), after the death of their mother and abandonment by their father. At night, Mike dreams of his missing brother, trying to solve the mystery of his abduction years ago. After losing yet another job, he reluctantly accepts a gig working the night shift as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, a theme restaurant loosely inspired by the Chuck E. Cheese franchise. There, Mike finds himself discovering new leads about his brother’s kidnapping in his dream world — yes, he’s sleeping on the job — while encountering the decaying animatronic figures that once enlivened the pizzeria. … Exactly who is this movie for? Ten-year-olds who have somehow developed a passion for both ‘Mindhunter’ and sappy Disney Channel movies about siblings?” — Olivia McCormack

Where to watch: Peacock

“Dispiritingly, in a movie that stars two of today’s most talented young actors, ‘Foe’ is defined not by human drama but by a pervasive sense that neither [Saoirse] Ronan nor [Paul] Mescal is actually playing a real human being. Each of their characters comes across as an automaton in service of the film’s larger themes of — ironically — selfhood and individuality.” — Michael O’Sullivan

Where to watch: Prime Video

A Good Person

“Taking on such hot topics as distracted driving, substance abuse and teen pregnancy, ‘A Good Person’ plays like a two-hour public service announcement . In this wildly uneven melodrama by writer-director Zach Braff, no member of the talented ensemble cast is entirely able to navigate its messy plot. That a few actors do manage to stay afloat for occasional breaths of air seems like a divine miracle. But for much of the film, God is not in the details.” — Pat Padua

Where to watch: Apple TV Plus , Google Play , Prime Video , YouTube

Haunted Mansion

“Director Justin Simien seems to have taken inspiration from Tobe Hooper’s ‘Poltergeist.’ (This was equally true of Simien’s ‘Bad Hair.’) The filmmaker uses similar setups and camera tricks to reference the 1982 masterpiece of PG-rated horror. It’s not a bad idea. Tasked with adapting family-friendly scares into a widely appealing film, ‘Poltergeist’ is an understandable touchstone. But Simien hasn’t mastered the tonal juggling act here: ‘Poltergeist’ was both funny and scary; ‘Haunted Mansion’ is neither. While Hooper’s film used the suburban California setting to critique consumerism and the promise of early Reagan-era America, Simien’s film plays like an extended advertisement for an amusement park attraction.” — Lucas Trevor

Infinity Pool

“Set in the fictional country of La Tolqa, and filmed on the Adriatic coast of Croatia — with the actual geographic location masked by signs written in a made-up alphabet of unintelligible squiggles, and a police chief (Thomas Kretschmann) who speaks with a German accent — ‘Infinity Pool’ throws up all kinds of red flags that the resort community in which it takes place is not somewhere anyone in their right mind would ever want to stay. For one thing, the tale unspools during an annual festival, known ominously as the Summoning. It involves the wearing of hideously deformed masks, available in the gift shop, that look like props from a violent home-invasion slasher.” — Michael O’Sullivan

Mafia Mamma

“Born in that treacherous genre wasteland between mobster movie and midlife rom-com — and centering on a woman scorned who gets her groove back after inheriting a criminal empire — ‘Mafia Mamma’ is a strange hybrid of the Godfather films, ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ and ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ — all of which are explicitly named-checked in the featherbrained screenplay by J. Michael Feldman and Debbie Jhoon, TV writers known for their work on such sitcoms as ‘Not Dead Yet,’ ‘A.P. Bio’ and ‘Kevin From Work.’” — Michael O’Sullivan

Magic Mike’s Last Dance

“If you thought ‘Magic Mike XXL’ was disappointingly market-driven — and we did — brace yourself against the back of your chair for this finale , which bumps and grinds and thrusts itself at you like, well, a fake police officer at a bachelorette party. The pandering symptoms of sequelitis are full-blown here. Oh, and it’s also completely bonkers. … [Channing] Tatum has laid-back charm in spades, but he works so strenuously to be likable, supportive, nurturing, deferential in this role — and, let’s not forget, an object of sexual desire, flipping the dynamic of the male gaze 180 degrees — that he’s practically overheating.” — Michael O’Sullivan

“Not many contemporary actors would be able to stand toe to toe with the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum, not to mention Elliott Gould — but Liam Neeson would seem to have as good a chance as any. Alas, Neeson’s portrayal of filmdom’s most famous private detective in the eponymous ‘Marlowe’ doesn’t just fail to enter the pantheon, it misses it by a mile .” — Ann Hornaday

The Marvels

“Despite its progressive bona fides, ‘The Marvels’ is so fueled by fan service and formula, like pretty much everything in the MCU these days, that it gives short shrift to such basics as narrative comprehension. Watching the movie from the standpoint of a normie — that is, someone who doesn’t eat, sleep and breathe this stuff — can sometimes feel like you’ve become stranded on the wrong side of one of those closing wormholes , in a parallel universe where nothing makes sense.” — Michael O’Sullivan

“The biggest flaw in ‘ Napoleon ,’ it turns out, is the actor who plays him. It’s difficult to understand why [Ridley] Scott would cast Joaquin Phoenix — one of the most subtle, recessive, almost fey actors working today — to play someone with such a commanding temperament.” — Ann Hornaday

“Not every screenplay that makes the Black List, the annual tally of unproduced film scripts most liked by industry insiders, is going to be a gem. Case in point: The 2010 Black-Listed ‘Paint’ by Brit McAdams, the story of a Bob Ross-like artist , played by Owen Wilson, who, after hosting an educational public television painting show for more than 20 years, experiences a crisis of confidence when a younger artist (Ciara Renée) is hired for the time slot immediately after his. … That is because there is nothing especially Bob Ross-ian about Wilson’s Carl Nargle, other than his fright-wig hair, bedroom-voice narration and propensity for painting the same mountain landscape over and over and over.” — Michael O’Sullivan

Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire

“It’s worth comparing the film to ‘Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,’ from which [Zack] Snyder takes his aesthetic cues. At each turn, it feels like the filmmaker is trying to one-up George Lucas, to deliver a version of the first Star Wars film on steroids. But ‘Moon’ frequently falls short, like a picture of a picture, mimicking images and character types but failing to capture the heart and magic of its predecessor. It’s a film stripped of joy and whimsy , instead pursuing a tone of self-seriousness. Would it kill him to put a single joke in?” — Lucas Trevor

Where to watch: Netflix

“Over the course of an evening , Hal [Christopher Abbott] and Rebecca [Margaret Qualley] maneuver and spar — verbally and physically — over his decision to fire her and her reluctance to accept the dismissal. There is sex, in a manner of speaking, involving Hal cleaning what already appears to be an immaculately clean bathroom floor, in his underwear, with a toothbrush, but there is nothing hot about it. (Rebecca remains nearby, without ever touching Hal. It’s the mental stimulation he needs, according to her, not physical.)” — Michael O’Sullivan

Where to watch: Prime Video , YouTube

“ The new film opens in Manhattan , where four survivors of the last film, who have dubbed themselves the ‘Core Four,’ have relocated to escape bad memories. (Would that I were so lucky.) The Carpenter sisters, Tara and Sam (Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera), are joined by brother and sister Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown), along with various roommates and love interests, played by Liana Liberato, Jack Champion and Devyn Nekoda. Did I say roommates and love interests? Make that suspects. Almost every character — including Sam, who dispatched [the Ghostface killer] in the 2022 ‘Scream’ and is the daughter of the 1996 film’s killer — is not to be trusted.” — Michael O’Sullivan

Where to watch: Paramount Plus

“Hugh Jackman plays Peter, a middle-aged New York attorney who as ‘The Son’ opens has embarked on a new life with his partner, Beth (Vanessa Kirby), and their new baby when his ex-wife, Kate (Laura Dern), shows up to let Peter know that Nicholas, their 17-year-old son, has been skipping school. Red flags abound in a story that turns out to be about adolescent depression, as well as adult self-deception, generational trauma and wobbly boundaries: Peter, a fixer by nature, is convinced he can get Nicholas back on track by virtue of good intentions and sheer force of will. What ensues is a slow-motion wreck that the audience can see coming down Madison Avenue, complete with a Chekhovian trope that’s as on the nose as it is breathtakingly offensive.” — Ann Hornaday

“Even Hugh Grant, delightful in the role of an Oompa-Loompa — a miniature creature seeking restitution from Willy [Wonka] for the cocoa beans our hero has harvested without permission — is underused, entering the film late and then hardly given any screen time . Only Olivia Colman and Tom Davis, as grifters who trick Willy into indentured servitude, make much of an impression. But in their case, it’s for overacting.” — Michael O’Sullivan

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The Book Thief movie review & film summary (2013)
Our heroine's bookishness, meanwhile, is mainly a source of bemusement to Rudy (Nico Liersh), the flaxen-haired neighbor boy who befriends and dotes on her. In a different, more reality-based movie, their relationship would be a coming-of-age romance. But though the characters here age from 13 to 17 during the story, at the end they look ...
The Book Thief
Rated: 4.5/5 Aug 19, 2022 Full Review Mark Jackson Epoch Times The Book Thief mixes British actors using German accents, a few German actors, and the occasional German word, creating a playfully ...
The Book Thief (2013)
The cinematography, editing, and script are all excellent as well. In short, The Book Thief is the kind of film you could show your children as a way to first begin a discussion of World War II and the Holocaust, but it never takes shortcuts from darker subject matter to reach this role. An excellent movie. 6/10.
The Book Thief
Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 19, 2022. The Book Thief mixes British actors using German accents, a few German actors, and the occasional German word, creating a playfully successful ...
The Book Thief (2013)
The Book Thief: Directed by Brian Percival. With Roger Allam, Sophie Nélisse, Heike Makatsch, Julian Lehmann. While subjected to the horrors of World War II Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. In the basement of her home, a Jewish refugee is being protected by her adoptive parents.
The Book Thief: Film Review
The Book Thief: Film Review. Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson and newcomer Sophie Nelisse star in director Brian Percival's adaptation of the Markus Zusak novel.
'Book Thief' movie review
Nico Liersch plays Liesel's friend. (Jules Heath/AP) "The Book Thief" has its moments of brilliance, thanks in large part to an adept cast. But the movie about a girl adopted by a German couple ...
'The Book Thief,' World War II Tale With Geoffrey Rush
The Book Thief. Directed by Brian Percival. Drama, War. PG-13. 2h 11m. By Stephen Holden. Nov. 7, 2013. Speaking in the honeyed, insinuating tone of the Wolf cajoling Little Red Riding Hood to do ...
The Book Thief
The Book Thief - Metacritic. 2013. PG-13. Twentieth Century Fox. 2 h 11 m. Play Sound. Summary While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.
Film Review: 'The Book Thief'
Film Review: 'The Book Thief'. Brian Percival delivers a quietly effective and engaging adaptation of Markus Zusak's WWII-set novel. Markus Zusak's international bestseller " The Book ...
The Book Thief Movie Review
The movie, as with the book, has positive messages. Positive Role Models. Liesel is curious, kind, and willing to work hard. Violence & Scariness. The violence ranges from the deaths of various cha. Sex, Romance & Nudity. Rudy repeatedly asks for a kiss, and by the end of. Language.
The Book Thief (film)
The Book Thief is a 2013 war drama film directed by Brian Percival and starring Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and Sophie Nélisse.The film is based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Markus Zusak and adapted by Michael Petroni.The film is about a young girl living with her adoptive German family during the Nazi era. Taught to read by her kind-hearted foster father, the girl begins "borrowing ...
'The Book Thief' Movie Review
The simplicity of Michael Petroni's script seems a drawback at first. But skilled director Brian Percival ( Downton Abbey) slowly, effectively tightens the vise as evil intrudes into the life of ...
Movie Review: The Book Thief (2013)
Like René Clément's "Forbidden Games," British director Brian Percival's The Book Thief focuses on the effect of war on children who are forced by circumstances into coping with events beyond their capacity to understand. Written by Michael Petroni and based on the novel by Australian author Markus Zusak, it is a story told with power and conviction about the Nazi's systematic ...
The Book Thief
Hans becomes a fond, caring father to the girl―helping her to read and teaching her of honor and love―and she easily takes to calling him Papa. Even his storm cloud of a thundering wife, Rosa, eventually shows that there's a hidden tenderness beneath her gruff exterior. Later, when Max stumbles to the door, Hans readily takes in the ...
Movie Review: 'The Book Thief'
Movie Review: 'The Book Thief'. Gabe Johnson • November 8, 2013. The Times critic Stephen Holden reviews "The Book Thief."
The Book Thief (2013)
The movie's strong sense of empathy, enhanced by several noteworthy performances, ought to engage most viewers. An embarrassing gut-punch of unfiltered schmaltz, but its sympathy for the devil-style humanism is well-meaning. The Book Thief covers a large span of time, but the film's episodic nature, often moving from one incident to the next ...
The Book Thief, film review: Dark material but this film plays like a
The Book Thief, film review: Dark material but this film plays like a typical coming-of-age story (12A) Brian Percival, 133 mins Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Sophie Nélisse, Ben ...
'The Book Thief' Review
The Book Thief runs 131 minutes and is Rated PG-13 for some violence and intense depiction of thematic material. Now playing in theaters. Let us know what you thought of the film in the comment section below. Follow me on Twitter @ benkendrick for future reviews, as well as movie, TV, and gaming news.
The Book Thief Review
The Book Thief Review. 1930s Germany. Young Liesel Melinger (Nélisse) is sent to live with foster parents Hans (Rush) and Rosa Hubermann (Watson) by her communist-sympathising mother. As she ...
Review: 'The Book Thief' robs the truth from an evil time
Review: 'The Book Thief' robs the truth from an evil time. By Robert Abele. Nov. 8, 2013 12 AM PT. "The Book Thief," the handsome, inevitable adaptation of Markus Zusak's internationally ...
The Book Thief: Book & Movie Review + Quotes, Markus Zusak
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, first published in 2005, has gone on to become an international bestseller and a modern classic.We explain why, discuss the movie adaptation of this novel and share some memorable book quotes. Read on for our comprehensive review.
The Book Thief
Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson star in this inspiring film based on the bestseller about Liesel, (Sophie Nélisse), a girl adopted by a German couple (Rush and Watson) who hide a Jew (Ben Schnetzer) from Hitler's army. Soon Liesel discovers that words and imagination provide an escape from the events unfolding around her family in this extraordinary film directed by Brian Percival (Downton Abbey).
Kuchenga Shenjé's 'The Library Thief' book review : NPR
If a movie adaptation of the character were ever to happen, Patrick Walshe McBride would be an excellent choice to play the part. Shenjé also did an fantastic job planting hints throughout the ...
9 Books to Read If You Love The Lord of the Rings
A Wizard of Earthsea. 4. The first novel of Ursula K. Le Guin's must-read Earthsea Cycle. $15.99 save 48%. $8.31 at Amazon. Of course whenever you're making a list of the best fantasy titles you ...
The Thief Collector Review: A Fascinating Story Weighed Down ...
Published May 19, 2023. This art heist documentary featuring Glenn Howerton has a great narrative at its core but takes its guesswork too far. FilmRise. In an age of increasingly exploitative and ...
How to protect your car from the growing risk of keyless vehicle thefts
USE A SIGNAL BLOCKER. A simple but effective way to stop auto bandits from purloining your key fob signal is to use a Faraday bag or pouch. They're lined with a conductive metal mesh that blocks the transmission of electromagnetic signals. The pouches aren't expensive, and you can also get boxes that do the same thing.
Nintendo Switch Users Can Get One of the Greatest Games Ever Made for $1.99
The game in question hails from 2016, a year that saw the likes of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Overwatch, The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, Stardew Valley, Dishonored 2, XCOM 2, The Witness, Street ...
Review: 'Problems Between Sisters' Puts a Spin on the Berserk Boys Club
Shepard's 1980 play made hay of the fraternal rivalry between Austin, an Ivy-League-educated screenwriter, and Lee, a rough-hewed petty thief. After a producer greenlights an underbaked movie ...
Review
Here are the ones to hate-watch. Review by Michael O'Sullivan. December 26, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. EST. (Illustration by Ines Pagniez for The Washington Post) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ...

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