the book thief movie review rotten tomatoes

The Book Thief

"The Book Thief"

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.

• Sophie Nélisse as Liesel Meminger
• Ben Schnetzer as Max Vandenburg
• Joachim Paul Assböck as SS Officer
• Geoffrey Rush as Hans Hubermann
• Emily Watson as Rosa Hubermann
• Kirsten Block as Frau Heinrich
• Matthias Matschke as Wolfgang Edel
• Nico Liersch as Rudy Steiner
• Sandra Nedeleff as Sarah
• Brian Percival

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Jason statham's new action movie mutiny casts villain with citadel star, filming also wrapped in new update, karate kid: legends timeline reveals how long after cobra kai the movie will take place, 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.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief is a historical drama film based on Markus Zusak's novel about a young girl who lives with her foster parents during the era of World War II. Liesel, a young girl who cannot read or write, is taught by her adoptive father, encouraging her love of books. As she steals additional books to continue feeding her love of literature, she begins to share them with a young Jewish boy the family has taken in to protect him from the Nazi party.

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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, subscribe to independent premium to bookmark this article.

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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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• Cast & crew

User reviews

The Book Thief

A shining gem in the darkness.

• Jan 25, 2014

Don't listen to the poor reviews.

• Feb 26, 2014

Touching and warm story - for the most part

• Nov 5, 2013

An Understated Classic

• Nov 27, 2013

WW 2 from a child's perspective

• Nov 15, 2013

A Flat Out Amazing and Emotional Instant Classic!

• Dec 9, 2013

The story loses some of its steam in migrating from page to screen, but it's still a powerful tale, relatively well-told.

• shawneofthedead
• Feb 4, 2014

Simply Beautiful

• Nov 29, 2013

Humanity during war

• cinematic_aficionado
• Apr 19, 2014

Riveting, Thought-Provoking, and Powerful

• mkramer-693-816493
• Nov 28, 2013
• Dec 22, 2020

One of the best films of this or any Year

• Nov 19, 2013

People Being People

Somebody stole its heart..

• Feb 11, 2014

A fresh take on a solemn subject

• frozenteeth
• Oct 21, 2013

Gives a Youth Perspective of Surviving the Holocaust

• Nov 7, 2013
• Kirpianuscus
• Nov 12, 2020

Strong performances, okay story

• Horst_In_Translation
• Aug 14, 2015
• Dfschohr-532-549658
• Oct 30, 2013

Great Story and Acting -- Overfull Script

• Nov 21, 2013

A must-see movie for anyone interested in the Nazi Era.

Good and agreeable drama set during wwii, germany, about a girl who learns about life, family love and war.

• Apr 9, 2020

Wonderful perspective

As someone who gave up on the book really early this was passable..

• GiraffeDoor
• Sep 8, 2019

I disagree with almost everyone/ an awful film that should have been good

• antonredglare
• Dec 13, 2013

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