The Air I Breathe
The Air I Breathe Image
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Metascore
37 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 9 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 28 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Andy Garcia, Brendan Fraser, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Bacon, Sarah Michelle Gellar
  • Summary: Inspired by a Chinese proverb that breaks life down into four key emotions – Happiness, Sorrow, Pleasure, and Love – The Air I Breathe is told in four short fables, each built around a character who embodies one of these key emotions. In Happiness, a timid banker who impulsively bets every cry cent he has, and then some, on a supposedly “sure thing.” In “Sorrow,” a rising pop star whose contract falls under the control of a ruthless crime boss, and his corrupt nephew. In “Pleasure,” a man who can see into the future of everyone he meets, but is totally blind when it comes to his own; and in “Love,” a doctor who pines for a woman he can never possess, only to find that he suddenly holds her life in his hands. Though each of the characters believes that his or her life is governed by hazard and chance, their unbridled emotions, impulsive choices, and reckless moves all prove one universal truth: character is destiny, and each of us makes our own fate. (THINKfilm)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 9
  3. Negative: 5 out of 9
  1. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    63
    Lee deserves a lot of credit for attempt the same kind of complex story structure Quentin Tarantino made look so easy in "Pulp Fiction": Like Tarantino's interlocking stories, Lee's four segments occur achronologically and come full circle in a neat twist at the very end.
  2. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    50
    The source for Jieho Lee's The Air I Breathe is an ancient Chinese proverb about the four cornerstones of emotion - love, pleasure, happiness and sorrow. But Lee and co-writer Bob DeRosa went 0-4 with their convoluted screenplay, making me thankful they didn't try to adapt the Seven Deadly Sins.
  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    38
    Situations get increasingly ridiculous, and none of the characters ever seems like anything but a screenwriter's sketch.
  4. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Frank Scheck
    30
    A top-notch varied group of actors, no doubt attracted by the colorfulness of their roles, has been assembled, but their hardworking efforts are ultimately done in by the supremely pretentious nature of the material.

See all 9 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. RogerSmith97
    9
    What A GREAT Movie!!!!!!!
    Sarah Michelle Gellar Shows Us A Solid Role...
    Everything Is Good... Just Somtimes It Can Seem A Little Dull In Spots....
  2. grandpajoe6191
    8
    "The Air I Breathe" perfectly intersects the stories despite the major flaws. Sarah Michelle Gellar never looked and acted better before throughout the movie. Overall a great movie and could have been better if it had a little bit of more budget added on.… Expand
  3. [Anonymous]
    7
    Entertaining, involving, with good performances, why did this movie inspire such revulsion? Better than about 2/3 of the product on the market. Biggest weakness: inconsistent use of paranormal gimmick.… Expand
  4. MBlues
    2
    Ludicrous, ridiculous, beyond silly. What in the world are these great actors thinking?? The writer/director must come from serious $$$.

See all 8 User Reviews

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