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Café Lumière
  • Release Date: Jun 10, 2005
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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  1. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    100
    Hou's sensitivity plus Ozu's inspiration equals sublimity of sight and sound.
  2. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    100
    Hou's best film since "The Puppetmaster" (1993). It's also his most minimalist effort to date, slow to reveal its depths and beauties, and it marks a rejuvenation of his art.
  3. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    88
    It's a film objet d'art to contemplate and treasure.
  4. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Andrew Sun
    80
    This poetic portrait of simple Japanese life immerses you in the elegance of the ordinary.
  5. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    80
    Exquisitely understated.
  6. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    70
    The film is an original work by a filmmaker who throughout his career has absorbed the best of what Ozu had to teach, and as such it stands as beautiful tribute from one master to another.
  7. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    70
    Café Lumière stands in relation to "Tokyo Story" as a faint, diminished echo. It is nonetheless a fascinating curiosity, a chance to witness one major filmmaker paying tribute to another in the form of a rigorously minor film.
  8. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    67
    Concerns feelings that can't be expressed, relationships that can't flower, and connections that are impossible to bridge.
  9. Variety
    Reviewed by: Jay Weissberg
    60
    Hou fans will find what they're looking for; others will wonder when the action starts.
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. ChadS.
    6
    When we finally learn something about Yoko (Yo Hitoto), it's that she's a writer. Yoko goes to a book store and asks the clerk about a musician she's doing research on. This is surprising, because up to this point, the only thing we know about her is that she rides the bus. Writers' block, perhaps, brought upon by the anxiety over her pregnancy? Since we never do see any coroborating evidence that she's a scribe. Hou Hsiao-hsien once again establishes his love for the static camera, and the framing of people in doorways. "Cafe Lumiere" has the advantage over "Millenium Mambo" of having its scenes bathed in daylight. Tokyo in the sun is easier on the eyes, much more so than nightclubs and murky apartments. But with the exception of "The Puppetmaster" and "The Flowers of Shanghai", his reputation as a great filmmaker eludes me. Yoko is needlessly enigmatic. Tell us something.… Full Review »
  2. TNgo
    10
    Wonderful. Hou pays homage to Ozu, but manages to evoke a message of his own.
  3. MSantell
    0
    The critics could not be more wrong or misleading on this film. I love foreign films but this film has no "reason d'etre." There is no storyline, no action, little dialogue and no drama of any type. I've read that this was meant as a tribute from one Japanese filmmaker to another. That's fine but mislead the rest of us that this is some type of profound film and that we are at fault if we don't recognize it.… Full Review »
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