Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- warm
- mellow
- lazy sunday
- comfort viewing
What critics said
Critics generally found the film imaginative, humane, and warmly comic, while noting that its comic rhythm and development weaken in the final third.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Vladimir's sudden defection in Bloomingdale's places Soviet officials, store personnel, police, and federal agents into chaotic conflict.
Vladimir works toward independence as he searches for employment and a future as a musician in New York.
Vladimir falls in love with Lucia, an Italian immigrant working behind a department-store perfume counter.
The defection is staged as farce while the story remains attentive to exile, loneliness, work, and belonging.
Films like Moscow on the Hudson, and why
The Visitor
shared fish-out-of-water comedy, immigrant experience, romantic warmth, and culture-clash humor
Brooklyn
shared uplifting immigrant narrative, American dream themes, and bittersweet comedy-drama tone
Moonstruck
shared romantic comedy-drama, outsider perspective, and urban working-class humanism
The Terminal
shared defection and cross-cultural identity themes with a comic, humane tone
Movie Details
- Director
- Paul Mazursky
- Release Date
- 1984-04-06
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (234)
Cast
- Robin Williams
- María Conchita Alonso
- Cleavant Derricks
- Alejandro Rey
- Savely Kramarov
- Elya Baskin
- Oleg Rudnik
- Aleksandr Beniaminov
- Lyudmila Kramarevskaya
- Ivo Vrzal-Wiegand
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Moscow on the Hudson about?
- A Soviet circus saxophonist defects in a Manhattan department store and rebuilds his life through friendship, romance, and music.
- What is Moscow on the Hudson like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Moscow on the Hudson as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Moscow on the Hudson violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Moscow on the Hudson.
- What did critics think of Moscow on the Hudson?
- Critics generally found the film imaginative, humane, and warmly comic, while noting that its comic rhythm and development weaken in the final third.
- Which films are like Moscow on the Hudson?
- Films with a similar feel include The Visitor, Brooklyn, Moonstruck, and The Terminal.
- How long is Moscow on the Hudson?
- Moscow on the Hudson runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch Moscow on the Hudson?
- In United States, Moscow on the Hudson streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel.
