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Orfeu
Metascore
52 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
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  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    88
    A seductive revisiting of an old classic - one that helps us see these lovers and their world with renewed passion.
    All this critic's reviews
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    80
    Totally captivating, as seductive as a samba.
  3. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Curtis Morgan
    75
    It's the slum, the favela, that emerges as Orfeu's most compelling character -- criminally poor yet rich in life.
    All this critic's reviews
  4. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Staff [not credited]
    75
    A heady, sometimes blurry combination of fable, legend, and social-political commentary.
    All this publication's reviews
  5. Mr. Showbiz
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    70
    For audiences new to this type of moon-mad magical realism and unembarrassed romanticism, Orfeu can spellbind.
    All this critic's reviews
  6. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    60
    Dazzlingly colorful.
  7. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    60
    Finds a sprawling, vivid middle ground somewhere between documentary and myth.
  8. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    50
    Fails to deliver the dramatic punch.
    All this critic's reviews
  9. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    50
    A film one watches at an emotional remove, but from that distance there are sights and moments to appreciate.
  10. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Paula Nechak
    50
    While the film is technically polished and visually breathtaking, it lacks depth and becomes little more than a lawless fairy tale packed with pretty people.
  11. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ron Stringer
    50
    Unfortunately, the innovations that attend this updating dilute the iconic weight of the original.
  12. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    50
    I'm not sure how much has been gained in the updating.
  13. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    40
    All in all, though, this Brazilian import is a small curiosity, intriguing more for its failures than its accomplishments.
  14. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Dennis Lim
    20
    Hovers between mythic poetry and earthbound grit; the result is an inert, drably florid spectacle.
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