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Nine Lives

EMAILPRINTMagnolia Pictures

Nine Lives reviews
80
6.9 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 25 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 16 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Rodrigo García

Directed by: Rodrigo García

Release Date:
Theatrical: October 14, 2005
DVD: February 14, 2006

Running Time: 115 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: R for language, brief sexual content and some disturbing images

Starring Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Elpidia Carrillo, Glenn Close, Stephen Dillane, Dakota Fanning, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Holly Hunter, Robin Wright Penn, and Sissy Spacek

Nine Lives is a moving exploration of the individual experiences of nine women as told through nine single unbroken takes. As characters from one story reappear in supporting roles in others, Rodrigo Garcia interweaves a grand tapestry of universal resonance that hinges on performances from an incredible ensemble. (Magnolia Pictures)

What The Critics Said

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

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

This beautifully sculpted poetic naturalism has more in common with the expressive use of words in the great screenplays of '40s and '50s than with modern movies.

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91

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

What could have been a parlor game becomes a surprisingly rich sketchbook, boosted by the work of fine actors.

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90

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Together, however, they add up to a film that may be the closest movies have come to the cinematic equivalent of a collection of Chekhov short stories.

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90

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

That rare episode film that actually accrues a cumulative power and doesn't merely proceed from one segment to the next.

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90

Film Threat Rory L. Aronsky

Garcia is a thoughtful filmmaker not only by the group of actors he has gathered, but in remembering that there has been and will be people watching his movie.

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90

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

A bold film both in its storytelling strategies and its filmmaking logistics.

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90

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

The scenes are so dramatically cogent the characters' lives seem to stretch far beyond the concluding blackouts.

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90

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

As a film composed entirely of nine continuous long takes, Nine Lives certainly qualifies as unique. But what makes it rarer and more auspicious is that it offers such a rich bounty of great roles for middle-aged women.

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90

The New Republic Stanley Kauffmann

García wanted to paint a canvas of nine elements, rather than one large element; and, though only a few of the vignettes are related, the film leaves us with a sense of wholeness, not of stunt.

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88

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

In refusing to pigeonhole its characters, Nine Lives is less like those L.A. road-rage melodramas "Short Cuts" and "Crash" than those all-of-us-are-interconnected dramas "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams."

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88

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A movie like this, with the appearance of new characters and situations, focuses us; we watch more intently, because it is important what happens.

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88

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

A disturbingly frank look at people and relationships in contemporary Los Angeles and a thrilling dramatic showcase for a brilliant cast.

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80

Variety Scott Foundas

Though the episodic structure results in a whole not quite equal to some of its parts, pic is an unusually tender, perceptive character study buoyed by stellar performances from a who's who of talented (and many underused) actresses.

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80

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

The beauty of Nine Lives is that its occasionally overlapping stories feel entirely unforced; Garcia's is a filmmaking style of rare lyricism, compassion and discretion.

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78

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

One wishes perhaps for a more thumping conclusion, but what we have instead is something perfectly in the spirit of the piece, reaffirming that life, big and little, happens in 10 minutes chunks.

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75

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Beautifully acted and emotionally devastating.

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75

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

A couple of the stories don't quite accomplish what Rodrigo intends, but most are poignant, disturbing, and superbly acted.

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75

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Not all of Nine Lives clicks, but at its best it finds an inarticulate sisterly solace that makes you want to see what this director could do with one life per film.

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75

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

An emotionally satisfying example of a genre whose sketchiness can be off-putting.

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75

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

The snaky cinematography pulls you through even when the writing doesn't, and the best performances keep you hoping that you'll feel the next one or the one after that just as powerfully.

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70

Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson

Five or six lives might have felt more concise; nine test the patience a bit, though it is impressive that each is composed of a single Steadicam shot.

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67

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

The uneven Nine Lives has an impressive cast, but the best section features the great Mexican actress Elpidio Carrillo as a prison inmate kept from her child.

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63

New York Post Kyle Smith

Nine Lives hands the viewer a lot of work -- learning a whole new set of characters every few minutes -- for a disappointing wage. The bad stories waste your time, and the good ones leave you unsatisfied.

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50

Village Voice Laura Sinagra

In yet another roundelay that, like "Crash" and "Heights," follows the "Short Cuts" template of cosmic interconnection.

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38

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Movies like this usually have something interesting to say about the human condition, but not Nine Lives. It makes an insufferably obvious observation: we live boring lives, shit happens, and we die.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 6.9 (out of 10) based on 16 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

tokias me gave it a9:
Lovely, touching and profound.

Shauna gave it a1:
Terrible! what was the point of this? the last story was the worst. i thought it was alright, thinking that everything was going to be connected in the end but no! nothing! terrible movie. I watched it because the other user comments made it seem like anyone who likes art movies would like it, but i love art movies and this sucked!

Awal K. gave it a5:
Average. While certain stories stand out - Robin Wright at the supermarket and Glenn Close at the cemetary - most are rather boring. I thought the nine different stories should have been more connected and weaved together. I don't expect 'Crash' or 'Pulp Fiction' but this movie seemed rather disjointed. The cinematography (each vignette is one long, continuous shot) is extraordianry, though.

Bill gave it a9:
An exceptional, subtle film. It's an adult version of "Crash." Whereas "Crash" is mawkish, manipulative, ham-handed and insultingly implausible, "Nine Lives" exudes reality and humanity. It compliments the viewer by gently implying its most powerful messages, especially in the final scene. Glenn Close isn't visiting her husband's grave, as nearly every media reviewer seems to believe.

Scott M. gave it an8:
Robin Wright Penn's scene took my breath away.

Rick gave it a2:
This film had quality moments, but they were all disjointed. There was no continuity or relevance between segments and none of them really made a point. Consequently it was excruciatingly boring.

D. Brunner gave it a5:
Some of the stories were impacting and certainly well-acted, but the film as a whole didn't hold together.

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