Adriana Barraza, Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett

Armed with a Winchester rifle, two Morrocan boys set out to look after their family's herd of goats. In the silent echoes of the desert, they decide to test the rifle… but the bullet goes farther tha...( read more  read more... )n they thought it would. In an instant, the lives of four separate groups of strangers on three different continents collide. Caught up in the rising tide of an accident that escalates beyond anyone's control are a vacationing American couple, a rebellious deaf Japanese teenager and her father, and a Mexican nanny who, without permission, takes two American children across the border. None of these strangers will ever meet; in spite of the sudden, unlikely connection between them, they will all remain isolated due to their own inability to communicate meaningfully with anyone around them.

Flixster Users

76% liked it

347,320 ratings

Critics

68% liked it

190 critics

R, 2 hrs. 22 min.

Directed by: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Release Date: October 27, 2006

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DVD Release Date: February 20, 2007

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Stats: 25,054 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (25,054)


  • November 11, 2009
    A very well made film and interesting idea. I just felt it was a bit too drawn out and didn't have the impact of something like Crash. Good story but might not be for everyone.
  • June 4, 2009
    Real good drama, I did enjoy it a lot, solid plot, great performances, worth the watch.
  • May 10, 2009
    Babel is a movie that will trap you from the very first second, Its a story full of drama, the plot is so interesting and touching. Directed by mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, by far this one is his biggest and greatest film. Different people in different parts of ...( read more)the world and with different problems intertwine their stories with consequences that will change their lives forever. This movie has a very good rhythm making it interesting from the beginning to the end. The photography is wonderful and varied. Each landscape and location shown in the movie tells you so much of the culture and the way of life of that place. The cast is awesome, Brad Pitt leaving his handsome guy look behind and performing almost to the perfection. Cate Blanchett is wonderful as always and the supporting roles of Adriana Barraza and Gael Garcia Bernal are worthy to mention. To conclude, Babel is a movie worth seeing it, a real masterpiece. Recommende for everyone.
  • April 5, 2009
    Well I started to watch this and at once though...oh no...what have I done? this looks lame, I spent how much on this apparent dubbed movie *weep*

    It then progressed with the individual stories, each one being alittle more intriguing by the minute, until all of a sudden your hoo...( read more)ked and really thinking, whats gonna happen here? why? how will it end? how do they connect?

    The stories are very simple everyday (almost) things that you could relate to (here and there). To be honest I thought it was gonna be boring and I only went cos Pitts a big name star and I was enticed by that (the shame) but the movie is really good, really gets you. I wasn't emotionally upset about it but you just wanna see how the story unfolds really, sucks you in well.

    The weakest link was the story set in Japan, in my opinion, they all link but this section was alittle dull compared to the others.
    I was really surprised with this, not usually my thing but it was good. Pitt was also good.....and not in an ego trip kinda way, very grounded.

    the weakest link was the story set in japan,in my opinion,they all link but this section was alittle dull compared to the others,but hey....who cares about me right lol.

    i was really surprised with this,not usually my thing,but i was good,pitt was also good.....and not in an ego trip kinda way,very grounded.hubbs decision,go see
  • January 20, 2009
    I really didn't think the stories linked together enough. I saw the connections, but sometimes they were just too weak. And the naked girl's random appearances just seemed like attention grabbers to keep people from falling asleep. I just expected more from this movie.
  • November 20, 2009
    a similar protryed film as crash!
    this was an interesting and intense film, however i found it confusing and left unexplained and i did not get how the Japanese story line fitten in!
    really good acting and moving scenes though :) just not as deep a film as it was made out to be!
  • November 12, 2009
    Babel completely blew me away. I guess I had expected it to be kind of high-brow and "This Is Arte!" ( i. e. Synecdoche, New York) I had not expected it to be this good. Its beautiful and poetic, emotional and disturbing. Its beautifly filmed and scripted. I really liked the ente...( read more)rtwined storylines, though the connections could have been a bit more obvious. The acting was very good, as well, but would you expect any less from the likes of Cate Blanchett and Gael Garcia Bernal? I really have no complaints at all. Babel is visual and emotional, tense and compelling; truly a memorable and great film.
  • November 11, 2009
    Pretty good movie, but in my opinion is Diet "Crash".
  • November 11, 2009
    Different events and places together as one! Very unique and realistic
  • November 4, 2009
    The way of shooting the scenes and different ways of telling a story might attract many people. but there is no point in doing like that. Each scene is slow, and that's all. There is no unique atmosphere in every scene. The movie can be shorten to tell a story.

Critic Reviews


November 10, 2006
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

[Iñárritu] remains as entranced as ever by fate, loss and the interconnectedness of humankind, and I admire him for it. But Babel isn't the last or best word on that subject. It's just a lot of talk. full review

November 5, 2006
Pete Hammond, Maxim

An unqualified triumph from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. World class filmmaking of the highest order. full review

November 3, 2006
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

In the end, a film of profound ambition is unmasked as one without real purpose, a misguided attempt to make a serious, important statement despite having nothing, really, to say. full review

November 2, 2006
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

The director interweaves his stories like a symphonic composer, teasing out suspense here, adding foreboding there, bringing in a surge of crushing pathos, but then providing a blessed note of hope an... full review

October 26, 2006
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Babel possesses unusual aesthetic force, even if it does not seem to be tethered to any coherent idea or narrative logic.

October 26, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

How Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga seamlessly link these four stories makes for an unconventional film experience that is weighty, thought-provoking and riveting. full review

October 26, 2006
Marcy Dermansky, About.com

Unrelentingly, unremittingly sad, excruciatingly painful, all for no valid reason, Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel is a movie to avoid at all costs. full review

October 20, 2006
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

The year's richest, most complex and ultimately most heartbreaking film. full review

September 23, 2006
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Ambitious and absorbing for nearly all its 2½-hour running time. full review

View more Babel reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • MorpheusOne
    January 7, 2009
    It looks like an interesting film. Pitt has got to be the single most overated actor in western civilization today, but hopefully his subpar acting won't kill the film!
  • 0meeee
    January 6, 2009
    Emotion Needs No Translation
  • pavacri23
    February 23, 2008
    that's right it didn't need the third story
  • Gaijindesu
    October 14, 2007
    This Movie Was Good But It's True It Didn't Need That Third Story The One About The Japanese People It Doesn't Fit In The Movie.

    You, my friend, need to look deeper into the meaning of the movie than just the surface plot. The movie's themes about being all alone and helpless connect Rinko Kikuchi's character to the rest of the film.

    Also there are four stories

    Japanese
    Mexico/American border
    Brad Pitt/Cate Blanchette
    The two arab boys.
  • OneMoreWeekandover
    August 9, 2007
    This Movie Was Good But It's True It Didn't Need That Third Story The One About The Japanese People It Doesn't Fit In The Movie.
  • wewantaSHRUBBERY
    June 10, 2007
    Ohmigosh this film is awesome. My best friend took me to it for my birthday and I didn't expect it to be so great coz of the subtitles, but I loved it! Anyone who says it's rubbish has no taste.
  • Seikan
    June 9, 2007
    All right, I liked this movie well enough, but the guy that says it's better than 21 Grams is completely out of his fucking mind.

    It's better than 21 Grams, but both are still great films.

    Babel is the last in the Iñarritu/Arriaga trilogy, and it's the only film that gets the fundamental emotions and message perfect. Babel is far better than 21 Grams.
  • rachzilla
    May 28, 2007
    All right, I liked this movie well enough, but the guy that says it's better than 21 Grams is completely out of his fucking mind.
  • sf164
    May 26, 2007
    WHAT?! This movie was lame. As far as a plot goes anyway. 4 stories brought together by lack of a common language? I must've missed it. I can't believe this film was nominated for anything. I had to mute the movie a few times because that 'sound' was grating. I was expecting much more.
  • blueflame34
    April 21, 2007
    It appears as a documentary more than an ordinary movie.
    Very political.Reflected parts of social & political lives of today at different countries at 3 different continents.
    Very interesting.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Babel Trivia


  • Babel talks about stories happened in Japan ,the States , Morrocco &  Answer »
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  • Who played in all of the following films? Troy The Mexican Meet Joe Black Thelma and Louise Legends of the Fall 12 Monkeys Babel Mr.and Mrs. Smith  Answer »
  • In the film "Babel" how is Cate Blanchetts character wounded?  Answer »

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