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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
A nine-year-old amateur inventor, jewelry designer, astrophysicist, tambourine player, and pacifist searches New York for the lock that matches a mysterious key left by his father when he was killed in the September 11 attacks. (imdb)
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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

2011
Drama
2h 9m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 40.97% from 1162 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1162)
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Rated 08 Feb 2012
84
75th
This is both overrated and underrated. It doesn't deserve a best picture nomination, I think most people agree with that, but it also doesn't deserve all the backlash it's getting because it got nominated. It's a fine film, though a bit manipulative. I went with it for the most part, but there were a few parts that went a bit too far and became a bit unbelievable, like the self mutilation and the mom following him. The kid is great, Tom Hanks is just Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock isn't that great.
Rated 08 Feb 2012
0
2nd
One of the most intensely annoying films I've seen, with a lead performance to match. I wanted to shove that fucking tambourine right down his throat. Don't even get me started on the idiotic story, the stereotyped characters and utterly shameless attempts at emotional manipulation. Cloying, sentimental Oscar bait bullshit.
Rated 01 Jun 2012
0
0th
Sickeningly contrived & unpleasant. I do not exaggerate when I say this movie may be the most awful piece of cinema I have ever experienced. In a film about 9/11 somehow there is absolutely nothing here grounded in reality? Every moment acted, word uttered, character interaction, & shot is almost hyperactive in its fake manipulative sentimentality. Worst of all is Horn's character, who we are told is too emotionally challanged to speak to anyone & proceeds to never shut the fuck up for 2 hours!
Rated 13 Feb 2012
0
4th
It has Sandra Bullock and a kid as the main character so you go in expecting it to be awful but honestly nothing can prepare you for how truly miserable this is. I expect some manipulation when I go in to see a film but they used autism and 9/11 to prey on people's emotions in the worst way possible. The dialogue is so bad you might actually laugh if you aren't vomiting. Makes you question if everything Eric Roth wrote before this was just a gigantic fluke. Worst movie of 2011 by far.
Rated 15 Feb 2012
20
8th
Extremely Long and Incredibly Crappy. ... (And no, I'm not gonna waste any more of my time writing a thorough review).
Rated 27 Jan 2012
25
5th
Tries so very hard to manipulate you in hopes that your sobs will keep you from noticing poorly written characters, overused voice-over said in whispers, and an utterly ridiculous plot. But hey they used 9/11 as a plot device so I guess we aren't allowed to dislike it.
Rated 27 Feb 2012
2
6th
Obnoxious, nauseating, a total dud that made me want to kill myself; When the film ended, I was just left with the desire of finding and killing Stephen Daldry.
Rated 22 Feb 2012
1
0th
It's hard to describe this movie without engaging in expletives so let's just get this over with: What a worthless piece of shit this film was. What a mystifyingly awful work, incredibly misguided with a lead that has as much personality as a spoiled ham. All the good actors are like beautiful planets orbiting this black hole of a central character, devoid of all personality or likability. I want to punch this kid in the teeth. Ground zero out of ten. Score is not a grade.
Rated 25 Jan 2012
2
14th
Despite noble swings at making the best of what they're given from supporting players Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, and Max von Sydow, this movie is cloying, precious, and insufferable. Fuck this Oscar bait, and fuck the Academy for being good dogs and nominating it for Best Picture over a hundred and more worthier films.
Rated 16 Feb 2012
30
15th
It's obvious to sum up this movie by changing a couple of words in the title: Extremely Boring & Incredibly Indifferent! Nominated over e.g. Drive, WTF!
Rated 30 Dec 2012
3
1st
gave up on this movie halfway though, i don't know why i even bothered. fuck that tambourine, seriously
Rated 16 Feb 2013
33
11th
I found this movie to be very annoying.
Rated 15 Apr 2012
1
0th
...and that's why I'm ex-directory.
Rated 04 Mar 2013
5
0th
The makers (and producers) of this movie were pretty clearly working off of some formula, an amplified one, really. I bet they were quite pleased with themselves and their market penetration or whatever. But middle aged women's tears are not a currency, thankfully. frederic is right, this movie makes you want to kill yourself rather than continue to watch it; the fraudulent schmaltz is that intense. There is nary an ounce of truth to be had here.
Rated 22 Jan 2012
81
44th
Yeah, I know. But, I still liked it...
Rated 30 Dec 2012
15
0th
What a pile of dogshit. Are they still appreciating tedious tear-jerkers about 9/11 down in the US? Not only is it annoying in itself (script and acting), but it's also annoying in the directoral attempt to evoke some of the wesandersonian mannerisms that make geeky kids so charming and worthwile.
Rated 12 Feb 2012
60
38th
The answering machine saves the movie!
Rated 04 Feb 2012
30
12th
Obvious melodrama and oscar-baiting delivered by an annoyingly quirky child actor who doesn't stop talking. Ever. Sounds fun, right? (I seriously thought this movie was 3-4 hours long)
Rated 25 Jan 2012
35
27th
At times Extremely Loud... is one of the truest and most heartful dramas of the year. At others its a confused, plot heavy mess that completely misses the point. Stephen Daldry never really figures out what he's trying to say, ultimately turning a story about a boy and his mother and the never-ending connections of humans into a dramedy about a strange boy and a mute old guy walking around New York.
Rated 06 Feb 2012
1
14th
In the shortest review I ever planned to write for this site, I had jotted down "this movie is goddamn retarded", and then hastily scribbled "THEN LEAVE THE PAGE". I figured I would owe you, the reader, an explanation. And the explanation is, this film is fucking baffling and insipid.
Rated 20 Dec 2012
10
6th
You have got to be kidding me.
Rated 12 Jan 2013
60
18th
Extremely Cloying and Incredibly Irritating
Rated 06 Feb 2012
80
67th
This is a movie I wish I had more space to write about it. First of all, the lead character is wonderful... this movie doesn't just use September 11 as some trite plot device, it's a backdrop and something that affected many. To those critics who actually found that offensive, fuck off. This is a touching tale that actually looks at autism in an interesting way. If the main character is "grating" to some, that's the point. Try living with autism or someone with it.
Rated 23 Dec 2011
10
9th
"Stephen Daldry abandons every lick of restraint in his efforts to play the audience like a syrup-greased harp." - R. Kurt Osenlund
Rated 07 Jun 2012
5
3rd
I couldn't take much more of the kid actor.
Rated 26 Feb 2012
17
4th
I suppose the intention was to show the difficulties of how a boy with Asperger's deals with tragedy, but the story is bogged down by an utterly boring scavenger hunt through New York City. Details are repeated ad nauseam, and strings of sub-plots are created and abandoned toward no purpose. The kid is talented and its Best Picture nomination teaches us how political the Oscars are, but it's otherwise worthless.
Rated 02 Apr 2012
5
4th
I'm stupid. Very stupid. I cannot understand the deep meaning of this movie. I manage to watch it over 1h to understand my deep stupidity ...and my stupidity still prefers watching sweet-bitter comedies and CGI based adventures than this "artistic" bullshit waste of time. I prefer my stupidity and I expect from websites like criticker.com to protect my "stupid time" wasted on movies like this.
Rated 20 Feb 2012
30
8th
The boy seems to have some acting talent, but man this movie was boring.
Rated 27 Feb 2012
75
53rd
A story about a kid with Aspergers looking for a clue his dead father left him from beyond the grave. Oh yeah and the father died in 9/11 and was played by Tom Hanks. The only thing missing is perhaps an old man and Sandra Bullock... nope we got 'em. This movie demands love from the audience in an almost ridiculously manor... but what the hell I liked it. I know I shouldn't but I did. Hanks is my kryptonite.
Rated 20 Feb 2012
40
19th
Quite fairly hated upon. The main problem is that a character like Horn's (who actually shows a great deal of promise) is pretty much intolerable. I mean, as if his smartalecky attitude isn't more than enough, did he really have to carry a tambourine as well? The film is too directionless and with the exception of the scenes with Davis and Wright (both of whom can make anything good) I never got involved in the mystery-solving. The solution did sort of work, I found, as did the kid's confession.
Rated 18 Feb 2012
60
57th
Unfairly hated. I thought it was moving and well acted. Both Daldry's directing and Roth's script was surprisingly restraint since both have had tendencies to go too deep into the melodrama with earlier works. Thomas Horn does a fine job in an almost impossible role. He does have problems with the big breakdowns, but it does not ruin the film.
Rated 20 Feb 2012
30
12th
Extremely melodramatic and incredibly boring. Max von Sydow is great though.
Rated 04 Mar 2012
50
40th
An ok treatment on tearjerker-america's favorite subject, and a good performance by Sydow..
Rated 05 Feb 2012
30
1st
The only reason why I waste eight bucks on crap like this is dedication. And I don't even have a fucking job.
Rated 20 Feb 2012
68
28th
After watching it, I have to admit I am both incredibly surprised and dissappointed that this got nominated for Best Picture. It's melodramatic, emotionally contrived and it's sentimentality feels forced at times. While it's still a decent film, it does nothing special and as such deserves no special recognition.
Rated 29 Apr 2012
60
4th
A lugubrious, sentimental substitute for a meditation on mortality, this movie is even worse than Daldry's earlier film "The Hours," which is similar in its mood, glacial pacing and intrusive, portentous music. Max Sydow and Zoe Caldwell do their best, Viola Davis is wasted, and the young actor Thomas Horn is either without talent or poorly directed, for he attempts to appear autistic merely by being extremely loud and incredibly close.
Rated 29 Feb 2012
100
90th
I reluctantly accepted this booty call from my old friend Emotional Manipulation, and while I feel a little dirty about it I can't say I didn't enjoy it a lot. On top of that it has Bullock, who I can't stop adoring whenever I see her, and an on-form von Sydow. I unexpectedly (based on how much Daldry has pissed me off in the past) didn't mind this at all.
Rated 24 Oct 2015
30
16th
It probably tries to tell something, but I didn't get it. It was so boring.
Rated 25 Mar 2013
21
11th
As a film, it's watchable, with a fine effort by the boy actor; as a story, it is a paint-by-numbers piece of American sentimentality.
Rated 26 Feb 2012
80
79th
If it wasn't for the fact that some scenes are so drastically tonally wrong for this movie it would be a great film, but that's a choice the made. 90% of it is, the rest is incredibly jarring. So it is worth a watch if you don't mind being dragged out of it every 40 minutes or so. The kid is great and Sandra Bullock proves that she should leave comedy the hell alone and stick to drama as she's good at one and awful at the other.
Rated 10 Sep 2012
60
26th
I will not mark this zero out of the spite some others feel towards its manufactured sentimentality because solid work from Bullock, Von Sydow, Goodman and Davis deserve better. It is however manipulative and below average. The kid in this film is extremely annoying and incredibly pretentious and is in no way charming or interesting enough to carry a film.
Rated 20 Feb 2012
72
43rd
I thought I would hate this. But I actually found it quite good, and a rare fine Hollywood adaptation. The right chunks were left out and other bits were added to, creating a more filmic storyline. They got the athmosphere right (albeit a bit sappy at times, but not at all as much as expected) and apart from what many seem to think, they got the boy right. I think it helped knowing the characters beforehand, making me able to put a lot of meaning into small gestures. Almost on par with the book.
Rated 29 Jan 2012
70
42nd
While aware enough to KNOW when I'm being manipulated by, among other things, the 9/11 plot device, I do have to give props for Sydow's portrayal of a traumatized mute, and the interplay between father and son. But I do have to criticize the young lead's performance. It gets smashed in our faces for two-plus hours that he's extremely damaged, and we get that. But his autism-fueled behavior comes off as more annoying than sad. I found it extremely hard by the end to feel any sympathy for him.
Rated 18 Feb 2012
65
72nd
thats the only movie sandra bullock couldnt ruin, because her role is that small, i dont get the autism part from most reviews though cause he says its abspergers, which is different, and having that in mind the performance of the boy was good !
Rated 01 Mar 2012
97
87th
This movie seemed like it actually had a ton of passion of heart put into and it shows. The story, the characters, visuals, the soundtrack, the cinematography, acting ALL AMAZING! I loved this film from start to finish. I was afraid it would use 9/11 as a cheap plot device, but it totally was not used like that. It was a great film that was amazing like I have never seen in a long time. Can get a bit sappy though which can defiantly drive people away, if you can connect to these chare. go see it
Rated 26 Nov 2015
4
10th
irriterande
Rated 11 Feb 2013
38
6th
Please. Make. Him. Stop. Talking. The script was series of Hallmark cards strung together.
Rated 23 Aug 2013
80
81st
There is one moment in this film that didn't ring true with me: the mother's revelation in the final act. But other than that, it is a heart-wrenchingly believable tale of a boy mourning the tragic death of his father. I had tears in my eyes more frequently than I would like to admit. A really good piece of cinema.
Rated 13 Aug 2012
75
44th
Oyunculukların ön plana çıktığı, 9/11'i arkasına alan, ufacık gizemiyle finaline kadar tutan ve yer yer duygulandıran güzel bir yapım. Beklenti düşürülürse tadından yenmeyebilir.
Rated 02 Oct 2012
75
19th
Thomas Horn is admirable (as in Van Sydow), but Horn's narration could have been less directive. On the behalf of that, I kind of liked it. Though it did drag just a little bit. Great actors...
Rated 09 Nov 2013
85
92nd
Extremely good movie with an incredible acting by the young fella..
Rated 27 Jan 2012
87
67th
I don't know what the problem is with people. If the film was fake and orchestrated, Horn's natural performance never let me notice. It's an emotional rollercoaster, and if I analyzed why I got sad and determined it wasn't the characters but re-living the event, then I'd have to wonder why there were so many moments I couldn't help smiling at as well. It's a touching story revolving around a tragedy, and it's up to you if you can handle that.
Rated 26 Feb 2012
40
15th
Excruciatingly annoying kid.
Rated 15 Sep 2017
50
3rd
It tried so hard but didn't do it for me.
Rated 20 May 2012
35
76th
There are moments of blistering truth, of painful sadness, of joyous hope. These moments and this movie have the audacity and emotion to stand the test of time and, in five years or fifty, not only will I remember it, I will treasure it.
Rated 17 May 2014
80
82nd
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a powerful and poignant film. The emotions unfurled can be wrenching, and I think as a parent--like many of the people Oskar meets--you wish you could walk into the movie and try to help take the pain away. You can't, of course, so you end up thinking more deeply about your own family. Your own losses. Your own challenges. Your own determination. Your own hidden hope. (pluggedin.com)
Rated 01 Apr 2012
62
30th
This movie deservedly gets a lot of criticism for its use of 9/11, but had any other tragic event been used in the same way the same criticism would still apply. There is simply no way to mask such empty and manipulative tripe even with decent directing and cinematography.
Rated 18 Feb 2012
90
72nd
extremely well made and incredibly moving...
Rated 09 Apr 2012
43
29th
While the starting point was nice and Tom Hanks is his usual good self, the rest of the film is a bit disappointing at best, terribly manipulative and tear-jerking at worst. I know I should not have expected better, but one always hopes for the best...
Rated 24 Nov 2014
95
78th
" Only humans can cry tears. Did you know that?"
Rated 23 Feb 2012
70
64th
7- recommended, good :: relies a little (way, way) too much on the 9-11 tragedy, but none of the reactions from the supporting characters would have worked otherwise. The kid did a great job of carrying the film though.
Rated 17 Sep 2012
35
19th
This is basically JSF's list of comfortable bourgeois cliches for coping with loss. But it's really worse than that. Kind of like Larsson's Lisbeth, Oskar seems to be blessed with sophistication and guile beyond his years (or most adults') as a direct result of a recent trauma. To me, this just romanticizes tragedy. His sad backstory aside, the annoyingly obsessive and unbelievably unchildlike kid at the center of JSF's text would be impossible to relate to.
Rated 07 Sep 2012
91
89th
I wanted to hate this movie. I just personally feel like 9/11 is just one of those sacred things you don't talk about, let alone make a movie about... but I love this movie. It was probably one of the saddest movies I've seen in a while (except 50/50) but it was really good. I didn't especially love the kid "Oscar" which was funny because this movie seemed like it was made for the Oscars. Max von Sydow was amazing though and I loved the story. Just very touching and wonderful, but very sad.
Rated 26 Feb 2012
35
9th
Daldry's post-11/9 drama should be at least authentic in some ways, because the background is too delicate to be completely healed, but the director chooses the short, obvious path of depicting loss, sorrow and grief as triggers for moments of sadness and rage. This film must be the most heavy-handed feature of the 2010s.
Rated 27 Mar 2012
93
91st
"Cred cã asta l-ar face mândru, ceea ce este ce mi-am dorit întotdeauna"
Rated 11 Oct 2012
74
51st
Overrated...
Rated 27 Feb 2012
89
59th
Story: 9 Screenplay: 9 Acting: 10 Cinematography: 8.5 Editing: 9 Entertainment Value: 9 Directing: 9 Music (Score or Songs): 8 Overall Production Score: 8.9
Rated 28 Feb 2012
90
50th
Ai, ai, ou eu tô muito manteiga-derretida, ou a galera do cinema tá carregando na emoção. Aliás, "Tão forte e tão perto" peca um pouco por isso: quanta tristeza a do pequeno Oskar, vivido pelo excelente Thomas Horn. Apesar do chororô (ou por causa dele), gostei muito do filme. E mais ainda do Max von Sydow na pele do "The renter". Lubrifiquei as lentes. Valeu.
Rated 22 Apr 2012
78
50th
It is Forest Gump with a much better story.
Rated 02 Jun 2013
60
47th
This was given a lot of awards, but I think it has to do more with the fact that it involves 9/11 more than it does being an interesting story.
Rated 04 Mar 2012
94
89th
Intensely moving drama featuring a flawless cast of heart-felt performances (with Bullock an extraordinary stand-out). Perfectly captures the spirit of post-9/11 grieving and mourning, coupled with telling an unusual and touching story in its own right; von Sydow's wonderful silent performance also adds much to the emotionally charged atmosphere, and Hanks is a perfect conduite for demonstrating a touching father-son bond.
Rated 22 Jun 2013
55
37th
Entertainment: 3.5 of 4. Spirituality / Opens the Heart: 2 of 3. Sustainability / Social Justice: 0 of 3.
Rated 19 Feb 2012
60
39th
This movie would have been so much better if they had just picked a lesser annoying boy for the main part.
Rated 23 Feb 2012
87
72nd
movie doesn't just use September 11 as some trite plot device, it's a backdrop and something that affected many.Touching tale with some very interesting and complex characters.
Rated 29 May 2018
59
18th
57.50+1 = 58.50.
Rated 20 Nov 2015
32
20th
For someone who admittedly loves pretentious crap, even I couldn't stand this. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close would be more accurately titled Extremely Obnoxious & Incredibly Boring. There's nothing of note here. Max von Sydow gets nominated for an Oscar for too small of a role. This movie could have been cut down by about 15-20 minutes and been far better. At least it has Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. Too bad they're unutilized. One of the worst Best Picture nominees I've seen recently.
Rated 03 Oct 2013
54
14th
53.67.
Rated 11 Feb 2012
71
54th
Screw the backlash. In spite of its fairy tale moments and the degree of artificiality, this one is definitely a nice one to watch and it deserves a BP nomination at least more than The Help or War Horse
Rated 15 Mar 2014
30
5th
Thomas Horn plays a precocious child named Oskar Schell in what is one of the most irritating lead performances I've ever seen. His tone is constantly snobbish and he's condescending to everyone he sees without reason. Clearly the script writer was trying to make him seem cute, but he's completely unlikable and unsympathetic. In other words, a huge asshole and at worst an offensive portrayal of autism.
Rated 01 Feb 2012
5
0th
While on technical merits this film is sufficiently well directed it serves as a testament to all of the worst elements of indie and oscar bait cinema. The lead played by Thomas Horn is the worst lead I can possibly recall in recent memory, and the film is sickeningly trite to the point where recalling it even now makes me want to vomit. Its a film that makes one have envy for those who fell out of the towers and got to avoid seeing this in theaters.
Rated 11 Mar 2015
4
4th
Couldn't finish it, tbh.
Rated 12 Feb 2012
64
25th
the boy is a great actor but overall the whole thing is "extremely pointless and incredibly overrated"... the movie tries so hard to be emotional that you want to vomit...
Rated 15 Feb 2012
40
20th
Buh.
Rated 21 Jan 2012
46
9th
Judging this was no easy task, the reception tending to either love or hatred, among critics and my own friends. The story is a damned mess, poorly resolved and filled with fruitless twists while failing to justify its use of 9/11. And the protagonist is an affected, obnoxious, self-important brat (the suggestion that he has Asperger's is repugnant), and Thomas Horn's best efforts can't fix that. There are moments that do work, however, and Max von Sydow and Tom Hanks make the going easier.
Rated 10 Feb 2012
73
61st
Quite a delightful watch; touching and engaging, although a bit overwrought and completely devoid of subtlety, especially towards the end.
Rated 28 Mar 2012
68
58th
This film is a strange one. It is too built up as to why the kid is really messed up, it takes far too long to hear that sixth message. If we knew about the sixth message before the very end I think the kid would have been less annoying and we would have given him much more sympathy. Unfortunately leaving that scene until the very end is too late to change our minds about the annoyance of the kid. Besides his incredible annoyance the idea of the film is much better than the film itself.
Rated 13 Apr 2013
29
15th
Just shoot me in the fucking head next time.
Rated 07 Sep 2014
68
27th
Perhaps it was manipulative, but I think it's a well done movie on a subject that many people are uncomfortable with talking about: death and how to deal with the pain. It tells the story of a child named Oscar with a form of Autism Spectrum Disorder trying to come to grips with the fact that his father died in the World Trade Center on September 11th and is not coming back. I am surprised at the backlash that the main character has received and wonder if people realize he has a form of autism.
Rated 23 Feb 2012
55
34th
It's overly sentimental and pretty shamelessly plays on the emotions of the audience when dealing with the events of September 11, 2001. It's a bit too 'quirky' and I can see how people could find the boy insufferable. I didn't mind most of it though. I thought it had a few pretty good ideas and moments. I did find the way they portrayed the boy's father pretty annoying though. He was just so unrealistically PERFECT.
Rated 29 Mar 2012
65
35th
64.500
Rated 22 Apr 2012
28
42nd
Reviewing this film as "Extremely Long and Incredibly Boring" is exactly as poor as this film is. Nothing screams Oscar bait like an autistic kid and 9/11. Even the kid is called Oscar, I mean come on.
Rated 26 Dec 2013
1
16th
What Pickpocket said.
Rated 03 Mar 2018
65
5th
This desperately wants to be a tearjerker, but all I could feel as I watched, was a mixture of intense annoyance that a worthwhile story had been treated in such a way, and intense nausea. I really am not being disparaging about the subject matter, believe me, what I object to is the fact that, watching this is like having someone whispering 'Cry! Go on, cry!' all the time. It's almost offensive
Rated 16 Aug 2019
2
10th
America might've deserved 9/11, but we didn't deserve to have to watch this movie.
Rated 05 Jul 2020
5
0th
Any movie where a kid recites the time in years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds is automatically horrid. And that 9/11 stuff is just gross.
Rated 06 Feb 2020
50
18th
This movie got nominated for Best Picture? Seriously?
Rated 19 Apr 2020
28
14th
Tearjerking, but it gets points for depicting genuinely good sincere empathetic people. And in these times, it's a rare feat in american movies.
Rated 24 Aug 2022
60
26th
Not the grandpa :(((
Rated 02 Jan 2024
20
11th
love the novel, hate the movie

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