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Babel
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Metascore
69 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 38 Critics What's this?

User Score
5.6 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 528 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett
  • Summary: In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out -- detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist couple's frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought by the police in Tokyo. (Paramount Vantage)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 38
  3. Negative: 0 out of 38
  1. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    100
    In the year's richest, most complex and ultimately most heartbreaking film, Inarritu invites us to get past the babble of modern civilization and start listening to each other.
  2. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    100
    This is a serious movie overflowing with memorable acting, unforgettable images, searing tragedy, unexpected humor and an eloquent plea for international understanding. And while it's by no stretch of imagination light entertainment, it's fundamentally a more optimistic work than either "Amores Perros" or "21 Grams."
  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    50
    It's a film of unquestioned visual artistry, and the filmmakers' empathy and human understanding are apparent moment to moment, scene by scene. But despite sensitive performances, it's an experiment that fizzles.

See all 38 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 155 out of 318
  2. Mixed: 40 out of 318
  3. Negative: 123 out of 318
  1. grandpajoe6191
    6
    Don't get me wrong; "Babel" is a grim yet seducing movie, one that is capable of diving deep into the diverse, infrastructural lives of others. But what pulls the pants down for this one is that there is no progress or moral. The movie just.....ends.… Expand
    • 3 of 3 users said yes
  2. TonyB.
    5
    This noble failure was one of the more overrated films of 2006. Its slow pace, often pretentious cinematography and occasional incoherence make me wonder what some of the fuss was all about. Easily the highlight of this misbegotten effort was the performance of Adriana Barazza as the Mexican nanny. (Incidentally, who is Brad Pitt talking to in his last scene if she is being detained by immigration authorities?)… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. sinosino
    3
    What a disappointment. Relentlessly miserable, relentlessly predictable, no engaging characters, portentious, pretentious, cliched. To paraphrase EM Forster 'well said, but not worth saying".… Expand
    • 2 of 4 users said yes

See all 318 User Reviews

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