On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 27/60 |
Les Winan |
A suprisingly capable thriller. Penn and Kidman are great, but if you have Nicole Kidman in your movie, why allow her to look so mousy? |
| 45/166 |
David Mumpower |
Equal parts In the Line of Fire and Body Heat. |
| 52/85 |
Kim Hollis |
Solid thriller with excellent performances from Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. |
Never before has the United Nations allowed a movie to be filmed on its grounds, with officials even turning down Alfred Hitchcock's request to shoot scenes for his classic film North by Northwest there. That has all changed with director Sydney Pollack's The Interpreter, as portions of the film have been shot in those hallowed halls.
Nicole Kidman, who won an Academy Award a couple of years ago for The Hours, stars here as an African-born U.N. interpreter named Silvia Broome who returns to her booth after realizing she's left something behind that day. In the process, she inadvertently overhears a speaker with an unusual African dialect who is discussing a plot to assassinate a controversial African leader set to come before the General Assembly. She doesn't see who is speaking; however, they turn on the light in her booth, making them aware who she is and putting her life in jeopardy.
Silvia goes to the authorities, and is assigned Secret Service agent Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) for her protection. As events proceed, though, he becomes less and less certain of whether Silvia is a victim or a suspect in the conspiracy. With Silvia believing in the importance of properly chosen words as communication and Tobin's inclination to study behavior, the pair's varying viewpoints make for a fascinating study in the human situation. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
Comparison films for The Interpreter |
Title |
Date |
Opening |
Adjusted Opening |
Screens |
PSA |
Adj PSA |
Total BO |
Adjusted Total |
Mult |
| Cold Mountain |
12/26/03 | 14.57 |
14.57 |
2163 |
6737.96 |
6738.0 |
95.63 |
95.63 |
0.00 |
| Random Hearts |
10/8/99 | 13.01 |
15.50 |
2697 |
4824.00 |
5507.7 |
31.05 |
37.00 |
2.39 |
| Mystic River |
10/17/03 | 10.45 |
10.45 |
1467 |
7121.00 |
7121.0 |
90.14 |
90.14 |
0.00 |
| Sabrina |
12/15/95 | 5.56 |
7.70 |
1821 |
3053.00 |
4070.7 |
53.56 |
74.24 |
9.63 |
| Human Stain, The |
10/31/03 | 1.03 |
1.03 |
160 |
6463.00 |
6463.0 |
5.38 |
5.38 |
0.00 |
| 21 Grams |
11/21/03 | 0.27 |
0.27 |
8 |
34307.00 |
34307.0 |
16.25 |
16.25 |
0.00 |
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