Everything is Illuminated

Dir: Liev Schreiber, 2005 (8.3*)

Brilliantly offbeat and small comedy of a young man, Elijah Wood, from the U.S. who goes to Russia to seek out anyone who may have saved his grandfather in World War II. He is met by the "travel guide of all-time" in the movies, gypsy-punk rocker Eugene Hutz, an English-speaking (sort of) Russian whose accent and syntax add a lot to the comedy. Hutz is the guide, but his blind uncle is the driver, who has a "seeing-eye bitch dog" in the back seat. This is one crazy road movie, and the secrets are uncovered for Wood and the audience as the trip progresses. This is not your PBS travel show!