Biutiful
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 33 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 33
  3. Negative: 3 out of 33
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  1. Slate
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    Feb 3, 2011
    30
    This forced march through a chamber of personal and sociological horrors is difficult to endure but easy to forget.
  2. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: David Fear
    Dec 22, 2010
    20
    We've come to expect diminishing returns from the once-promising Mexican director who then gave the world "Babel," but the combination of wallowing humanistic-cinema overkill and outright ridiculousness he lays out here represents a new low. Biutiful is not a tragedy. It's a straight-up travesty.
  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Melissa Anderson
    Dec 28, 2010
    10
    Though its structure may be whittled down in comparison with the earlier works, Biutiful is even more morbidly obese than "Babel" in terms of soggy ideas, elephantine with miserabilist humanism and redemption jibber-jabber.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 63 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 18
  3. Negative: 2 out of 18
  1. TVJerry
    Feb 27, 2011
    5
    The latest from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel") is bleak and tragic. Javier Bardem plays a man in the mean streets of Barcelona who hustles to make money, struggles with his family and deals with his failing health. There's nothing warm or joyful here. Just hard times and dark drama. It's well-made, complex and distressing, but lacking the emotional power to make it involving.… Full Review »
  2. cinemaquote
    Jan 30, 2011
    5
    How can talents such as Iñarritu and Del Toro plus Bardem's breathtaking performance amount to such a painful experience for the viewer. Someone described this as 3 bad movies in 1. I cannot say that much, yet I strongly urge Iñarritu to reflect on what grasped us in Amores Perros or even Babel and make movies for us, not only for his viewing pleasure. Bring on the magic! @cinemaquote… Full Review »
  3. emkadv
    Feb 20, 2011
    4
    I greatly admired Bardem's performance, which is well deserving of an Oscar. Unfortunately, the movie was so dark and unpleasant, that I was really uncomfortable sitting through it. Despite Bardem's performance, I could not get myself to like his character. Nor were any of the other major characters likable. Without finding a character I could identify with, I cannot give the film a positive score.… Full Review »
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