All About My Mother
Metascore
87 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 34 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
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  1. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    100
    Almodovar is adept at weaving together strands you'd never guess would match.
  2. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    The characters have a weight and reality, as if Almodovar has finally taken pity on them--has seen that although their plights may seem ludicrous, they're real enough to hurt. These are people who stand outside conventional life and its rules, and yet affirm them.
  3. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    88
    Some will find the movie's sexual antics too explicit and unconventional for comfort.
  4. San Francisco Examiner
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    88
    Almodovar imbues his Harlequin-novel-meets-Marvel-comic-book melodramas with something more than a wink and a smile, and it's beguiling.
  5. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Jay Carr
    88
    A tender genuflection to the women's energies that keep that spinning world from keeling over.
  6. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    88
    Almodovar still populates his work with characters you'll see nowhere else in movies.
  7. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    89
    It's filled with marvelous performances, fabulous wit, and some dizzying images.
  8. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    100
    Almodóvar's masterwork, is a spectacular synthesis of everything that has always interested him -- proud women, lovely boys, beautiful drag queens, grand movie stars, gorgeous frocks, wild wallpaper .
  9. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Paula Nechak
    83
    As dark as a Greek tragedy yet it has a vibrance and joie de vivre that can't be contained by grief.
  10. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Stephanie Zacharek
    90
    So intrinsically rich that it doesn't need any metaphors.
  11. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ella Taylor
    90
    Just about everyone worth knowing in All About My Mother is female in spirit, which is to say they're all sexy, impossible, powerfully durable souls, quarrelsome and loyal, inventive at navigating the tragedies.
  12. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    90
    As straightforward and plot-driven as any movie about life imitating art imitating life could possibly be.
  13. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Peter Brunette
    90
    Funny and wise, lively and contemplative, intriguingly postmodern and powerfully moving, all at the same time. It's not to be missed.
  14. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    90
    A surprisingly satisfying combination of bawdy sexual humor, genuine emotion and a plot with mechanics so excessive that Almodóvar himself calls it "a screwball drama."
  15. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Janet Maslin
    90
    It weaves life and art into a rich tapestry of love, loss and compassion.
  16. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    100
    The year's best foreign-language movie an absolute must-see.
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  17. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Marc Caro
    88
    Generous in spirit and always engaging as it demonstrates that no matter how difficult life may become, there's no excuse for being drab.
    All this publication's reviews
  18. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    88
    This is more than a movie: It's Almodovar's design for living.
    All this critic's reviews
  19. Mr. Showbiz
    Reviewed by: Kevin Maynard
    90
    The most heartfelt tribute to women -- specifically, actresses -- he's (Almodovar) ever made.
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  20. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    100
    Brimming with bittersweet wit and emotion and built with deceptively fluent craft.
    All this critic's reviews
  21. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    90
    Pedro Almodovar's transfixing tragicomedy -- the best foreign movie of the year -- is also the best showcase for actresses in ages.
    All this critic's reviews
  22. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: David Ansen
    90
    This is humanism in drag: Almodovar's passionate redefinition of family values.
    All this critic's reviews
  23. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    90
    The most mature and satisfying work in a glittering, consistently surprising career.
    All this critic's reviews

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.6 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 38 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. gabrielsu
    10
    A breathtaking masterpiece. By far it's Almodóvar's best movie to date. The cast it's marvelous, the photography it's genial, the angles of thhe camera. Very well written and directed.… Full Review »
  2. anthonyuk
    10
    Simply outstanding!
    Heartfelt with wonderfully interesting characters, if this film doesn't move you then you're not human!
    The champion of     cinema that celebrates women, Almodovar is an absolute genius!… Full Review »
  3. smijatov
    7
    Maybe I have had very high expectations of this film, since Almodovar is my favourite director, but I felt somewhat confused. Well, I definitely felt with the characters - the emotion was very real from all the actors, especially Cecilia Roth and Marisa Paredes. However, the story itself leaves me with so many questions, something that I am used to have answered in Almodovar's films. Or maybe that's a new development, since I have seen all of the films that came after this one, before I have watched All About My Mother.
    Either way, it is definitely worth watching and the excellent acting and music (typical of Almodovar's works) make the film something one ought to watch. So yes, a very good film, somewhat confusing and question-provoking, but ultimately good.    … Full Review »
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