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Lantana
Lions Gate Films


8.5

based on 29 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 21 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

Jindabyne

MPAA RATING: R for language and sexuality

Starring Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey, Kerry Armstrong, and Rachael Blake

This ensemble mystery set in Australia examines the stories of four married couples, each touched by the discovery of a murdered woman.

GENRE(S):	Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Andrew Bovell (also play Speaking in Tongues)
DIRECTED BY:	Ray Lawrence
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: May 21, 2002 Video: May 21, 2002 Theatrical: December 14, 2001
RUNNING TIME:	120 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	Australia / Germany

Audience Award for Best Feature, 2001 Melbourne International Film Festival; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (LaPaglia), Best Actress (Armstrong), Best Supporting Actress (Blake), Best Supporting Actor (Colosimo), Best Adapted Screenplay, 2001 Australian Film Institute Awards

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Voluptuous dance about love, pain and the whole damn thing.

100

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

It's one of the best surprises of the holiday season.

100

Variety David Stratton

A wonderfully acted, acutely observed psychological drama.

100

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

Elegant but never overstated, sinister but never coldhearted, this is a note-perfect masterwork on a modest, human scale.

100

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Stuns with writing, acting, direction.

100

The New York Times Dana Stevens

Astonishingly well acted film, so much so that it seems unfair to single out any of the performances. Mr. Lawrence's camera sense is as sure and unobtrusive as his feel for acting. The movie just seems to happen, to grow out of the ground like a thorny plant, revealing the intricate intelligence of its design only in hindsight.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Has a refreshingly keen ability to see everything from multiple angles.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Notable for its power of surprise and its refusal to immediately clarify the confusion of these lost souls.

Time Richard Schickel

Lawrence's style, naturally lit and roughly realistic, matches the writing. Lantana sometimes has the air of a routine police procedural, sometimes the quality of a dour film noir. But this movie, so alert to mischance and dreams that don't quite work out as they should, has a good soul, a heart yearning for decency.

New Times (L.A.) Bill Gallo

Lawrence constructs a vivid pastiche of human foibles, nicely flavored with a touch of suspense and some well-timed jolts of humor. In the end it's a terrifically entertaining film, if not quite so profound as the makers might wish.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

A remarkably thoughtful drama, Lantana makes it clear not only how hard to come by any emotional comfort is in this life, but more important, why we can't give up on the struggle.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

Perceptive, powerfully acted psychodrama.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

The acting is top-notch, and LaPaglia, who makes the cop's torment palpable, gives the performance of his career.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

Haunting, powerfully acted, penetratingly written, it's about people coming home -- and not coming home -- to their marriages.

Chicago Tribune Mark Caro

More intent on engaging the heart as it explores the mysteries contained within - mysteries that, as Lawrence and his spot-on cast demonstrate, are far more compelling than simple murder.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

This description no doubt makes the film seem like some kind of gimmicky puzzle. What's surprising is how easy it is to follow the plot, and how the coincidences don't get in the way.

Portland Oregonian Ted Mahar

The story is ingeniously intricate but never gimmicky or implausible. As it develops, the suspense grows about what direction the story could possibly take next.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak

It's LaPaglia's finest, deepest role and he's matched by Armstrong, who makes Sonja's undaunting optimism palpable within a trying marriage that's gulping for breath.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Striking for its performances -- especially Anthony LaPaglia.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Steeped in quiet despair, Lantana is a psychological thriller that emphasizes the psychology over the thrills. It's a smart, heart-twisting picture.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

This isn't a mystery except in the most general sense. It's a dense, Altman-esque psychological drama centering on 10 characters whose lives become as tangled as the lantana.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

While the movie is well acted and creative, its story and style are too self-consciously clever to build a high degree of emotional power.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

In addition to the strong script, the ensemble performances are topnotch, with no one hogging the limelight.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

For the briefest of moments, someone not paying attention might mistake Lantana for a mystery. -- Lantana is actually an examination of human interaction.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

There's some genuine suspense in Lantana, including one unbearably tense moment that is worthy of Hitchcock. But the movie's most unnerving aspect is the way in which it suggests true happiness may be impossible to regain once you've lost it.

Film Threat Michael Dequina

Love is indeed the greatest mystery, as Lantana's tagline goes, and while the film is ultimately still and interesting and fairly involving one, it's a bit unfortunate that the filmmakers weren't content to simply explore that quandary instead of manufacturing another.

Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman

While viewers who expect a conventional suspense film may be disappointed in Lantana overall, it does succeed on a smaller, more intimate scale.

TV Guide Frank Lovece

Thought-provoking but proceeding at a crawl, the film suffers from performances that are virtually all pitched to the same note of existential ennui -- thank goodness, then, for Rush, who's arrives like a wake-up blast of compressed air.

Village Voice Dennis Lim

The scenario eventually becomes so coincidence-choked that the filmmakers have no choice but to play it for mild snickers.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 21 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tony B. gave it a5:
Well acted but sluggish and slow.

parker gave it a10:
Simply superb in virtually all phases: acting, scene orchestration, directing,, etc. captivating throughout, unpretentious, with unusual depth & perception in evidence. thought provoking.

Slobodan gave it a10:
Just excellent.

Dave C. gave it a 4:
Dreary melodrama. The characters are about as interesting as cardboard.

Liz gave it a 9:
Beautifully acted and scripted.

Richard gave it a 9:
Twisty and involving. Some of the relationships seem a little too convenient, but it's well-acted across the board.

John T. gave it a 9:
Lantana is a gripping and beautifully shot experience.

Lantana Lions Gate Films

Lantana
Lions Gate Films