Chop Shop (2008)
88%RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 8 nominations
Chop Shop, the 2007 film by Ramin Bahrani, is a stunning example of neorealist cinema that captures the gritty reality of life on the margins of American society. Bahrani’s use of hand-held cameras and natural dialogue creates a docu-feel that immerses the viewer in the world of his young protagonist, Alejandro. The film is a near-masterwork of low-budget precision and improvisation, constructed and rehearsed over many months in collaboration with the actors and the entire Willets Point community. Bahrani’s sincerity and grace towards his characters, who are often invisible to the people who “count” in New York City, is what makes Chop Shop a must-see for fans of independent cinema.
Chop Shop is like a hidden gem that you stumble upon while walking through a thrift store. It’s gritty, resourceful, and captures the stories of people who are often invisible to society. Director Ramin Bahrani’s neorealist style mixed with improvisation and collaboration with the actors and community make this film a near-masterwork of low-budget precision. The protagonist’s hope to avoid a life of quiet desperation is relatable, and the film’s clear-eyed and quietly absorbing nature makes it a must-watch for anyone who loves a good underdog story.
Production Company(ies)
Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Queens, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Unrated
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jul 15, 2008
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Chop Shop, drama, Ramin Bahrani, Jeb Brody, Bahareh Azimi, Alejandro Polanco, Isamar Gonzales, Ahmad Razvi, Carlos Ayala, Laura Patalano, Nick Jasprizza, neorealist, New York City, low-budget, auto-body repairman, siblings, underbelly, Queens, criminal enterprises, Third World America, verite style, hand-held cameras, natural dialogue, docu-feel, gritty, resourceful, low-level, idle dreams, hope, heartfelt, excellent performances, box office, gross USA, $123.7K, MPAA rating, reviewed by David Fear, Ben Kenigsberg, Noel Murray, Andrew O’Hehir, Michael Phillips, Steven Winn, Piers Marchant, Matt Brunson, Norman Wilner, Douglas Davidson, David Walsh, Mattie Lucas, directed by Ramin Bahrani, produced by Jeb Brody, written by Bahareh Azimi and Ramin Bahrani, drama genre, 1h 24m runtime
Worldwide gross: $222,776
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $306,865
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,847
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 33,464
US/Canada gross: $125,045
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $172,245
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,572
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,475
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $11,674
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,673
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Isamar Gonzales – Isamar
Ahmad Razvi – Ahmad
Carlos Ayala – Carlos the Pigeon Worker
Laura Patalano – Laura
Nick Jasprizza – The “John”
Director(s)
Ramin Bahrani
Writer(s)
Bahareh Azimi, Ramin Bahrani
Producer(s)
Jeb Brody
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 8 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (59) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (2)
November 18, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
David Fear
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Ben Kenigsberg
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
All these low-level criminal enterprises and idle dreams aren’t happening in Mexico City or Kandahar; they’re just outside Queens.
October 18, 2008 | Rating: B+
Noel Murray
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
It’s a near-masterwork of low-budget precision and improvisation, constructed and rehearsed over many months in collaboration with the actors and the entire Willets Point community.
July 9, 2008
Andrew O’Hehir
Salon.com
TOP CRITIC
It’s a sharp mixture of neorealist grit and lyricism.
July 9, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
In this clear-eyed, quietly absorbing film, director Ramin Bahrani opens up a wedge of Third World America that operates, all but invisibly, in plain sight.
June 27, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
Steven Winn
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Bahrani shoots the film in classic verite style, all hand-held cameras, and natural dialogue, capturing a docu-feel for a story as gritty and resourceful as its young protagonist.
June 1, 2021
Piers Marchant
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Its protagonist hopes to avoid leading a life of quiet desperation.
March 12, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Ramin Bahrani’s low-budget studies of people on the margins of American society.
February 27, 2021
Norman Wilner
NOW Toronto
That’s what’s fantastic about Chop Shop, and even Man Push Cart, Bahrani doesn’t look down. He captures the stories with sincerity, bestowing a kind of grace on his characters.
February 23, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Douglas Davidson
Elements of Madness
In his Chop Shop, co-written with Bahareh Azimi, director Ramin Bahrani has chosen to treat a world and individuals that are invisible to the people who “count” in New York City.
February 14, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
It never feels artificial or created, it feels raw, earthy and urgently immediate.
July 6, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row…
Plot
A young man works as an auto-body repairman to provide for his younger sister in the gritty underbelly of New York City in Ramin Bahrani’s heartfelt neorealist drama, Chop Shop.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Alejandro Polanco in the lead role as Ale, a young man working as an auto-body repairman to provide for his younger sister.
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