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Movie Overview
Cast
Cate Blanchett
Brad Pitt
Gael Garcia Bernal
Director
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
MPAA Rating
R - for violence, some graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use.
Babel (2006)
REVIEWS
NEWS
INTERVIEWS
OTHER
(1 - 48) of 48
OFCS Rating: 77% Fresh
Page
1
"an affecting examination of disconnected lives in an interconnected world."
Eye for Film
Anton Bitel
A-
"How much you enjoy
Babel
will be based entirely on your degree of cynicism."
FromTheBalcony
Bill Clark
B-
"I would be surprised if, after 140 minutes of grim punishment, any audience member could be truly moved by this everlasting symphony of pain."
FilmJerk.com
Brian Orndorf
2/5
"succeeds only in making noise."
Filmcritic.com
Chris Barsanti
A-
"Alejandro González Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga cap off the trilogy of films that began with "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams" with a rich and engrossing drama."
ColeSmithey.com
Cole Smithey
"
Babel
suggests that violence forges its own kind of language, a means to forge closeness across distances of experience, location, and time."
PopMatters
Cynthia Fuchs
2.5/4
"
Babel
is a well-intentioned -- and finely acted -- tower of power that might have worked better had its theme of universal communication difficulties been better integrated."
rec.arts.movies.reviews
David N. Butterworth
B-
"... settles for being a decent but contrived and unmoving psychological drama."
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Dennis Schwartz
3.5/4
"Thought-provoking long after its haunting final frame,
Babel
is a weighty and complex spellbinder."
DustinPutman.com
Dustin Putman
2/4
"Comparisons to
Crash
are fair only up to a point, given how
Babel
is prone to sacrificing character at the altar of the almighty shock tactic, but the film more accurately brings to mind the schematic, globe-trotting
Syriana
."
Slant Magazine
Ed Gonzalez
2/5
"Si algún mérito tiene González Iñárritu (además de la conducción de un buen elenco) es el de haber sido capaz de dar a una película menor y pretenciosa la forma de un cine supuestamente original e importante."
Uruguay Total
Enrique Buchichio
C
"Has an unwelcome sense of self-importance and heavy-handedness."
EricDSnider.com
Eric D. Snider
3.5/4
"Weaves its power through, instead of above us, in the effort of its own testament that the inner horrors of our time on Earth should be a uniter and not a divider, no matter who the decider might be."
eFilmCritic.com
Erik Childress
A-
"
Babel
is about lack of communication, per its title, and that theme resonates through Inarritu's four stories on levels both global and personal."
Film Blather
Eugene Novikov
"The gimmick-machinery whirrs, but the human beings in it can't breath"
CinePassion
Fernando F. Croce
B-
"Like its scriptural model, an impressive structure, but one that doesn't reach the intended emotional heights."
One Guy's Opinion
Frank Swietek
5/5
"A multidimensional story that explores what happens when love is ignored, squandered, or annihilated by anger, alienation, hatred and violence. One of the best films of the year."
Spirituality and Practice
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
3.5/4
"Its complex (yet not mystifying) storytelling, forceful character development, and superb cinematography make this a candidate for one of 2006's best offerings."
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
2.5/4
"a collection of often powerful scenes in search of something grand to say"
Q Network Film Desk
James Kendrick
"When bad things happen to stupid people, are we supposed to care?"
SA Movie & DVD Magazine
James O'Ehley
8/10
"Click here to read review"
Kinoblog.com
Jaroslav Vishtaljuk
8/10
"At the simplest level, the movie is several dramas told effectively, and processing the emotions in its most dramatic moments may be the best reward in watching it."
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Jeffrey Chen
"Dread hovers over this movie like a chaperone at a parochial school dance."
In the Dark
Jonathan F. Richards
3.5/4
"The fact that someone was so inspired by our pathetic and pitiable inability to communicate with our fellow man to craft a film with that message and that message alone is noteworthy."
Bangitout.com
Jordan Hiller
3/5
"full review in Greek"
Movies for the Masses
Joseph Proimakis
4/4
"Surpasses Crash and Syriana in the depiction of a post-9/11 world of heightened racial tensions and political turmoil."
Montreal Film Journal
Kevin N. Laforest
4/5
"The beauty of Babel is how Iñnáritu weaves all these pieces together to create a unified picture of how language, communication barriers and cultural differences divide us, while simultaneously showing us the commonalities ..."
Cinematical
Kim Voynar
B
"...while the pair's [Iñárritu and Arriaga] filmmaking skills cannot be denied, the film's emotional resonance is weakened by a feeling of repetition and cliche..."
Reeling Reviews
Laura Clifford
5/5
"Babel es más que eso, es contradicción y antítesis, es la obra cumbre y gloriosa de un visionario en un retrato triste y dramático de nuestro mundo."
Cinenganos
Luis Martinez
3/4
"Despite its provocative elements, there's less to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Guillermo Arriaga's variations on the theme of miscommunication and careless acts than meets the eye."
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Maitland McDonagh
2.5/4
"The film's ambition, unfortunately, exceeds its reach, let alone its grasp."
Mark Reviews Movies
Mark Dujsik
6/10
"This is a moving but very downbeat film. The stories do not add up to much other than to say that bad things happen."
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Mark R. Leeper
3.5/4
"
Babel
is the kind of movie I would recommend to a specific audience. If you don't mind sitting and soaking up the little details and absorbing a theme as deep as it will go, then you may agree that this film is quite rewarding."
Aisle Seat
Mike McGranaghan
B+
"The film's sympathy for all of its characters is in itself the answer, or at least the beginning of one, to the questions it raises."
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
Nell Minow
C
"There isn't a second when Iñárritu's film feels as if it's replicating life's coincidental nature."
Lessons of Darkness
Nick Schager
3/5
"Acaba trazendo [seu diretor e seu roteirista] em um caminho que já percorreram duas vezes %u2013 só que, aqui, eles o fazem de maneira bem mais esquemática, melodramática e, conseqüentemente, menos interessante."
Cinema em Cena
Pablo Villaca
3.5/5
"...here's the most important lesson %u2013 if you're going to a Mexican wedding, make plans to spend the night."
Film Threat
Pete Vonder Haar
4/5
"Iñárritu and Arriaga continue their three-pronged approach with this powerfully moving drama."
Shadows on the Wall
Rich Cline
2/5
"A lumbering, stitched-together mess."
eFilmCritic.com
Rob Gonsalves
B+
"Iñárritu's spiritual side combines with his insight into human nature to transcend the shakier elements."
Flipside Movie Emporium
Rob Vaux
C+
"Similar in tone to Iñárritu's earlier film, "21 Grams," but not as effective."
Laramie Movie Scope
Robert Roten
B
"The world-spanning story has intriguing elements...But, the overall study falls short of the individual stories."
Reeling Reviews
Robin Clifford
4/5
"Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga have fashioned their ideas with conviction and obvious care."
JWR
S. James Wegg
3/4
"Finds a tense undercurrent (that) keeps us involved through the film's moderate pace and constant narrative shuffling."
Charlotte Weekly
Sean O'Connell
10/10
"Tension-filled and compelling - it's one of the best pictures of 2006!"
www.susangranger.com
Susan Granger
"Click here to see review"
Wolf Entertainment Guide
William Wolf
3/4
Read review
Big Picture Big Sound
Joe Lozito
Read review
Cinema Crazed
Felix Vasquez Jr.
(1 - 48) of 48
OFCS Rating: 77% Fresh
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