Orphans

Two ignorant, semi-depraved brothers, dead-end kids abandoned by their parents and living (so to speak) in a condemned house near Newark, New Jersey, kidnap a drunken Irish dandy and hold him for ransom, but get more than they bargained for after daylight and sobriety transforms their prisoner into a cunning thief (and surrogate father). Director Alan J. Pakula makes little attempt to open up the stage play that inspired the film, and the artificial theatricality of the setting and dialogue doesn't translate well to the big screen. But the often absorbing dynamics between each of the three high-caliber actors is enough reason to recommend the play itself, if only to stage buffs.

I saw this film about 100 times as a child and it forever stuck in our household as a classic to watch every Christmas.

The film is about 2 young boys, Treat, an angry young man who must make his living through petty thievery, and his house-ridden younger brother, Phillip, who never leaves the house from fear of "the toxic air outside" which apparently nearly killed him as a child. A third character, Harold who is supposedly a rich businessman,played by film veteran Albert Finney, comes into the lives of the two boys after they attempt to kidnap him and hold him for ransom. Little do they know that Harold has a thing or two to teach the boys about life, family, and how to become grown men.

Orphans is an old film, but is absolutely wonderful. I am saddened by the fact that it didn't make it into the mainstream to be regarded a classic along the lines of Casablanca, Gone with the wind, Titanic, etc.

I recommend this film for anybody who has a heart.

This drama was very powerful in spots but I found it too uncomfortable in the long run. It was interesting but, frankly, I wouldn't want to see it again. Two young guys (at time time) - Matthew Modine ("Treat") and Kevin Anderson ("Phillip") - play characters that not always each to watch. It gets a little too mean-spirited, as the latter is mentally slow.

As interesting as those two guys are, the best character is played by Albert Finney. His role as "Harold" - nobody has a last name in this movie - is hard to figure at times. He is older than the other two guys, low-life mental cases, and he winds up being kidnapped by the younger guys. He, too, as it turns out, was an orphan and all three share a sad and somewhat sordid backgrounds. He winds up just about being a foster-type father to these kidnappers. However, there are strong homosexual overtones in this movie, too, which could lead to other conclusions. It's a bizarre story.

Whatever, this is extremely well-acted movie but too unpleasant for my tastes.

i feel bad giving this movie such a good review. in the day and age we live in, anyone who reads this recommendation and sees Orphans will probably be shocked and disgusted. you will find NO special effects in Orphans. no glitz, no huge budget, and no big name actors. can you imagine?? no, what you find in this movie is a cast of three actors who absolutely bring three characters to life. the chemistry is amazing and the screenplay is among the best i've ever seen. Orphans is all based around three characters and one house. how do they possibly carry a four star movie without any explosions, without any computer generated effects, without any ben afleck?! see the dying art of acting and script writing in it's finest form before all we're left with is style and no substance. 10/10

EDIT: I was a teenager when I wrote this user comment. I had just seen Orphans for the first time and obviously left a very reactionary review. While my comments aren't the most well informed or mature, they do reflect my feelings at the time so I will not change them. I just wanted to add that while I am now in my mid 20s and find my above comments very silly, I still love this movie and consider it one of my all time favorites.

Difficult to define it. Because the themes and the acting are more significant than the story itself. Because it is a fine manner to explore the importance of fatherhood for two boys living alone, separated by comunity, orphans, each of other representing entire family, both animated by fears and attempts to have his refuge.

The performance of Kevin Anderson is just splendid, like the fine work of Matthew Modine - in the his case, my subjectivity is significant after I saw Birdy or Full Metal Jacket, not ignoring Flowers for Algernon.

Albert Fienney is great but this is only a truism. The gift proposed by film - special emotion, sustained by admirable cinematography.