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. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    Dec 30, 2010
    90
    Biutiful has a strong, linear narrative drive. Nevertheless, and most of all, it's a gorgeous, melancholy tone poem about love, fatherhood and guilt.
  2. Boxoffice Magazine
    Reviewed by: Pete Hammond
    Dec 22, 2010
    90
    Biutiful, which gets it name from a child's misspelling of the word, is in itself a beautiful, mesmerizing film and Iñárritu's masterpiece.
  3. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    Feb 3, 2011
    88
    Biutiful is strong stuff, it will leave you shaken. There's poetry here, and catastrophe.
  4. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    Jan 27, 2011
    88
    Bardem's soulful turn lends this haunting meditation a sense of hope and saves it from the contrived missteps it teeters toward.

User Reviews

All reviews »
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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