Man Push Cart (2005)

88% of critics liked it
(48 reviews)
62% of users liked it
(2,540 ratings)

A former Pakistani rock star attempts to adjust to life in New York City while simultaneously making friends and selling coffee from a push cart on the streets of Manhattan in Iranian-American director Ramin Bahrani poignant, character-driven drama. By day Ahmad (Ahmad Razvi) tends to hurried… More A former Pakistani rock star attempts to adjust to life in New York City while simultaneously making friends and selling coffee from a push cart on the streets of Manhattan in Iranian-American director Ramin Bahrani poignant, character-driven drama. By day Ahmad (Ahmad Razvi) tends to hurried Manhattan-ites by keeping their bellies full and ensuring that they are adequately caffeinated, and by night he supplements his income by selling bootleg porn DVDs. Though Ahmad hopes to one day raise enough money to purchase a place of his own and reunite with his estranged son, times are tough in the city and the hard-working immigrant soon strikes up a tentative friendship with fellow countryman Mohammed (Charles Daniel Sandoval); a generous but sometimes condescending soul who readily takes the fledgling New Yorker under his knowing wing while offering additional work decorating his apartment. Spanish immigrant Noemi (Leticia Dolera) works at a newsstand near Ahmad's cart, and also finds herself warming to the haunted former rock-star's timid ways. As Ahmad, Mohammed, and Noemi gradually begin to socialize together, a tragedy in Ahmad's past soon prompts the struggling New York newcomer to question the true nature of his current relationships. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: Ramin Bahrani
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: May 12, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Oct 9, 2007
Studio: Films Philos

Critic Reviews

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
The makers of Man Push Cart seem so dedicated to making a film that defies Hollywood conventions that the finished product lacks enough entertainment value to justify price of admission.
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
Michael Simmond's cinematography, especially in scenes of Ahmad muscling his way amid evening traffic and early-morning delivery trucks, is wonderfully true to the moods of a city that never sleeps and seldom nods at the hard work going on before it.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Shot in three weeks, Man Push Cart does a fine job of capturing the bitter flavor of Ahmad's life.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Free of contrived melodrama and phony suspense, it ennobles the hard work by which its hero earns his daily bread.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Ahmad's concerns -- his sadness and his striving -- become universal. Though his early-morning riser's world is gray and threaded with melancholy, it becomes, in the end, a place we recognize.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
It's by no means an exaggeration to describe this quietly powerful film as Bressonian.
Jeffrey Chen, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
A noble attempt to give us a look at one of the regular people who populate our civilization, one of the guys we may see everyday but would be otherwise totally unfamiliar with.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
Although the acting isn't so hot from the non-professional bit part players, Ahmad Ravzi - also a non-professional actor and former push cart seller himself - puts in a stoic and solid performance.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Delivers the grind without sugar and clichés.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Fiction, but always with one foot firmly planted in a grim post-9/11 reality, the cast and crew got called terrorists by people passing by the set, and with a visit from the FBI to see if the film set was a coverup to conceal a terrorist plot in progress.
Prairie Miller, Kid Surfer
Fiction, but always with one foot firmly planted in a grim post-9/11 reality, the cast and crew got called terrorists by people passing by the set, and with a visit from the FBI to see if the film set was a coverup to conceal a terrorist plot in progress.
Bruce Dancis, Sacramento Bee
The darkly realistic cinematography of Michael Simmonds gives the film a near-documentary style in its depiction of the endless, physically draining work.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
Recalling Italian neorealist movies such as The Bicycle Thief, Man Push Cart is a slice of a very sad life.
Les Wright, culturevulture.net
A sad, powerful, austere experience of a movie, this is the story of a man who has known profound, compound loss.
Philip French, Observer [UK]
A sad, honest movie about the day-to-day courage and stoicism of decent people who cling to the lowest rung of the social ladder.
Ted Murphy, Murphy's Movie Reviews
Man Push Cart, written and directed by Ramin Bahrani, attempts to put a human face on the men (and it is generally men) who work inside these tin boxes.
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
A slow-burn stunner, where nothing much of consequence happens, except life itself.
Mary F. Pols, Contra Costa Times
Man Push Cart is likely too slow to pull in much of an audience, but that's a shame, because it has so much empathy for the plight of the lonely.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "Man Push Cart," Ahmad(Ahmad Razvi) spends the pre-dawn hours dragging his push cart through the cavernous avenues of Manhattan to his appointed corner where he serves coffee and bagels to commuters. At night, he makes the long trek back to Brooklyn,… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "Man Push Cart," Ahmad(Ahmad Razvi) spends the pre-dawn hours dragging his push cart through the cavernous avenues of Manhattan to his appointed corner where he serves coffee and bagels to commuters. At night, he makes the long trek back to Brooklyn, dragging along a propane tank. While buying cigarettes, he finds Noemi(Leticia Dolera), who is from Spain, manning the newsstand. And a fellow Pakistani, Mohammad(Charles Daniel Sandoval), recognizes Ahmad as a once famous singer from nis native Lahore...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Eschewing any kind of overt politics, writer-director Ramin Bahrani with "Man Push Cart" manages to deftly tell a sober tale about immigrants in post 9/11 New York by showing the city from their vantage point.(I am left wondering how he pulled off some of the shots in the movie.) To him, the immigrants are its backbone, especially Ahmad who works long hours unnoticed, serving up the lifeblood of the city. For once, repetitiveness works, giving a clear indication of what his life is like over the long haul.[/font]
MJS M

A micro budget movie about a Pakistani immigrant working at a coffee stand on the streets of New York. Almost the definition of a "sundancy" movie, the film is a neat little slice of life. The film basically just follows this character over the course of a week and see his… More
A micro budget movie about a Pakistani immigrant working at a coffee stand on the streets of New York. Almost the definition of a "sundancy" movie, the film is a neat little slice of life. The film basically just follows this character over the course of a week and see his struggles. Throughout the film there's a real tension the viewer can't quite put their finger on, you just know something bad is going to happen but you've gotten to know this guy so well that you can hardly bear to watch. The film is marred by it's low budget, one can tell that a number of the supporting characters are played by amateurs and a few scenes supposedly set in a nightclub look like they were shot in someone's garage. Otherwise this is a very compelling independent movie.

Cast

            Ahmad Razvi as Ahmad

            Leticia Dolera as Noemi

            Charles Daniel Sandoval as Mohammad

            Ali Reza as Manish

            Farooq "Duke" Mohammad as Duke

            Upendran Paniker as Noori

            Arun Lal as Father-In-Law

            Razia Mujahid as Mother-In-Law

            Hassan Razvi as Ahmad's Son

            Mustafa Razvi as Pakistini Driver

            Altaf Houssein as Altaf

            Bill Lewis as Final Customer

            Abdelrahma Abdelaziz as Friend at Bar

            Ronak Ricky Patel as Newsstand Worker

            Shaana Diya as Club Worker

            Bhavana Toor as Ahmad's Wife

            Adrian Quezada as Ahmad's Baby

            Atif Muhammad Mirza as Atif the Stab Victim

            Hui Rao as Verterinarian

            Issam Abdelkader as Push Cart Garage Owner

            Qamar Bukhari as Guy In Karaoke

            Asim Mujahid as Guy In Karaoke

            Mousa Kraish as Guy In Karaoke

            Mariam Sologashvili as Customer

            Thomas Russo as Customer

            Marcus Bonnée as Customer

            Paul Ross as Customer

            Darryl Meadows as Customer

            Linda K. Alexis as Customer

            Damita Spencer as Customer

            Katherine Boyle as Customer

            David E. Boyle as Customer

            Edward Harper as Customer

            Ana Brzova as Girl Outside Club

            Katharyn Yew as Karaoke Waitress

            Cynthia Martin as Girl In Limo

            Sybil Prince as Girl In Limo

            Nicholas Elliot as Falafel Customer
See full cast