Short Cuts
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Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Andie MacDowell, Julianne Moore
  • Summary: Using the short stories of Raymond Carver as inspiration, Robert Altman revisits the formula of his 1975 film "Nashville," portraying various interlocking stories set against the backdrop of contemporary middle-class Los Angeles.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    Los Angeles always seems to be waiting for something. Permanence seems out of reach; some great apocalyptic event is on the horizon, and people view the future tentatively. Robert Altman's Short Cuts captures that uneasiness perfectly.
  2. Empire
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    80
    At first, it's hard to sort out who knows who and where the stories connect, but it eventually comes together, combining the gripping power of a soap opera with the skewed, unusual perspectives of Carver and Altman.
  3. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    50
    Altman shakes the camera like a two-bit horror director, and it seems a different sort of signature - less masterful than weary, less signed than resigned. Zero-sum, indeed.
  4. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Rita Kempley
    20
    A cynical, sexist and shallow work from cinema's premier misanthrope, Robert Altman, who here shows neither compassion for -- nor insight into -- the human condition.

See all 22 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 2 out of 10
  1. freakytea
    10
    I love this movie. It's a truly magnificent piece of art, and it changed the way I thought about movies. Perhaps it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you enjoy challenging, thought-provoking cinema, you must give yourself a chance to savor this masterpiece.… Expand
  2. BlakeP
    10
    Sure many of the characters in "Short Cuts" are bad people, but that doesn't stop this ensemble film from being creative, funny, and tragic, all at once. Robert Altman is the man to go to for films like this, and if "Nashville" left you stunned, "Short Cuts" will live your mouth open. He connects these characters, all portrayed excellently by the stunning cast, in such genius ways, and the stories themselves are all unique in some way or another. With standout performances from Andie MacDowell, Tim Robbins, and Julianne Moore, "Short Cuts" is one of my favorite films from the '90's.… Expand
  3. Arhi
    10
    This is a European film in America. Strong and copied many times (Crash, Magnolia).
  4. KathleenH.
    3
    Sure, the intertwining of stories is masterful and the cast incredible. But the characters are such terrible people. And worse than that, from a movie point of view, they're boring people too. Why would I want to spend any time at all with any of them? They're shallow, pretentious, deceitful, manipulative, ridiculously unperceptive, and ... boring. Watching characters like that fumble through their empty lives and their pointless, nasty marriages isn't illuminating or interesting; it's just ... a boring waste of time.… Expand

See all 10 User Reviews

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