With the help of excellent actresses and great plots we watch the film and remain speechless. Especially Carmen Maura in the role of the mother is a masterpiece. Cruz, the muse of Almodovar, is a natural force of the character, which she created. Colourful scenery, which is an excellent choice, contrasts with full of ridiculous or scary ideas. The scenario still surprises spectator. It is hard to find as good as here analyse of women… Expand

Another wonderful film from the Spanish maestro, wonderful female characters which you wam to, Cruz is excellent.

You really care about the characters, funny, eccentric, simply charming cinema at it's best!

Cruz finally won me over. She conveys so much poise and here she shines. Great ensemble, Almodovar really knows his woman characters a true male feminist. Cruz should of won the academy award.

This was not an enjoyable Almodovar film. I enjoyed Bad Education and Talk to Her; however, I despised Live Flesh and All About my Mother. I expected the film to be on the better side, as most of his recent films were proving to be increasingly impressive. Yet, All About my Mother seems a little unshocking and I think that the comedic aspect was intended to be in the shock value of unexpected behaviors to normatively morose moments.… Expand

Right up there with All About My Mother as Almodovar's best film - he seems to get better and better. Like his recent work, this is mature stuff - exploring the complex web of relationships of two sisters and a myriad cast of characters and the mystery surrounding their monster death. Almodovar takes in melodrama, humour, noir and fantasy with ease constructing a truly original, heartfelt and flawless work, including a sensational musical performance by Cruz midway through.… Collapse

I didn't want to watch this film -- or like it -- thinking it was a "chick-flick." Was I wrong! Very intelligent with surprises and good twists, with great directing. Penelope Cruz is at her best here.

This film doesn't have a single quality that made me feel like it was a worthwhile way to spend the time. The characters were boring and unrealistic; there were constant, pointless pervy breast and butt shots; the acting was adequate but nothing special; the story was lame (although probably could have been turned into something in different hands). Ugh...watch "Talk to Her" if you must watch an Almodovar.… Expand

Not a single wasted moment.

Boring and dull foreign drama.

The immortal Almodovar is one of my very favorite directors, definitely in my top five. He's made five bonafide masterpieces in a row, 'Live Flesh,' 'All About my Mother, 'Talk to Her,' Bad Education,' and now 'Volver.' There is simply no other director like him in modern fillmaking. His films are sublime, rich in character, funny, eccentric, and unforgettable. 'Volver' is no exception. Highest recommendation!… Expand

Can you believe it... The brilliant Almodovar has written a really spicy episode of L & O: SVU. He has been careful to include all the elements found in the best adventures of the "Panty Police", such as multigenerational sexual abuse of teenage girls, murder, and very dark family secrets. The problem that I have with this film is that it presents a familiar stew as if no one had ever heard of anything like it. It's not the auteur's fault that a dreadful social problem has been turned into a cud for bovine tv watchers. But it IS his fault that he seems unaware that his big "reveal" is a cliche. Perhaps he could follow up with a story about an amazing fellow who makes his living by killing people on contract. He needn't concern himself with the over-representation of the "hit man" in popular fiction. ( I think that if we were to tabulate all occupations represented in contemporary fiction, the "hit man" would out-rank them all, except perhaps for the "serial killer", the "pimp", and that great oxymoron--the "Porn Star". I did enjoy "Tie Me Up...", which employed that well-known figure of everyday life, the Escaped Mental Patient and Sexual Pervert, so it may be that mass culture has caught up with the creative artist in terms of speaking openly about matters that once were too impolite to discuss in "mixed company".… Expand

This would have been a good movie had it not been so over-hyped. I rented it thinking it would be the best movie I've seen all year and it was far from it. Penelope Cruz was excellent (but why did they insist on putting a fake butt on her?) as well as the rest of the cast but it was a somewhat derivative storyline. Slightly above average film, but not great.

There is a coherence with the sincere Almodovar's obsession about women and feminity. There are not surprises, and if you like Almodovar films, you will enjoy one more time. However, as an Spanish reader, I think the perfomance of Penelope Cruz is clearly overvaluated to assing her the possibility for some Oscar. Still she has serious holes to polish. I hope the experts aficionados in the USA they can give much more credit to the perfomance of the wonderful Helen Mirrer or Meryl Streep. Penelope still is far to be a serious competence of these ladies.… Expand

Cruz's cleavage is the only thing that remains consistanly impressive throughout this painfully hokey movie. If you can displace your commonsense and the boundaries of reality for 2 hours you might be able to enjoy Volver, but i doubt it. The story branches off at times to what seems like some potentially interesting turns, only to result in many dead ends. Obviously, this movie is well liked from many of the other reviews. I can say that it is well filmed and acted, and even comes together in the end very well. But the painfully long, ridiculous (at times), and pointless story makes it all not worth it in the end for me. This movie will not be winning any Oscars.… Expand

This movie is all story and it's a lovely one at that. I didn't want it to end because I wanted to know more about every one of the characters. Why can't more American movies have a good story instead of helicopters and explosions?

One of the best movies of the year. I like the Fellini references, but Almodovar keeps things tight and short, unlike the Italian master. Playful, endearing, and packed with great performances, this movie is a must see. People like Daniel D obviously don't know anything about film, and look for improbabilities in a narrative to decide wheather its a good movie or not. I'll give you a hint. Movies are more than just trying to be realistic.… Expand

This is one of the greatest films of Almodovar. Everything he does shines itself. It seems as he has a magic wand with wich he fills all his movies with realistic and understanding feeling, however unlikely his stories could sound. It's the best film maker in years. I'm a Spanish film lover, and here, in Spain, lots of people don't like how he manage to tell his films. But here theres a lot of envy and when one of our citizens is a genius, instead of admiring him, we just say he is not good enough, he is not realistic...too many worda with no sense!! It's a beautiful film. A must-see. A masterpiece of a mature director.… Expand

It appears that most everyone who saw this film gave it a 9 or 10. A few gave it low scores and almost no one put it in the middle. So this is another "love it or hate it" sort of film. I have to put myself in the second category. Although I greatly enjoyed watching Penelope Cruz -- without her the movie goes down to a 1 or 2 -- it's obvious no one else in the movie did. HUH? Here�39;s a woman so lustrously beautiful she positively shines and one guy -- count him, one! -- notices her appearance. Okay, her husband must have at one time and maybe her father, but come on! This in Spain of all places. A few other impossiblities include that Penelope's character, having just "taken over" a restaurant after somehow disappearing from her regular cleaning job, can prepare and serve up a meal to 30 people with only a couple hours notice, that four women can lift up a freezer with a dead guy in it into a van, and that it's no problem to bury a guy four or five feet deep next to large trees where the ground has no roots, no rocks, and no other things I somehow always run into in my garden. Not to mention that a whole town somehow believes in a ghost who has to shop for supplies at the market. Maybe I was not enthralled by the whimsical spirit of the whole thing, but hey, that's just me, I guess. Finally, the big raison d'etre behind Penelope's psychology was a blatant and transparent ripoff from Chinatown (daughter, sister, daughter, sister). Gotta go. My girlfriend just invited me over to watch Midsummer's Night Dream. Don't know much about it, but I'm sure I'll love it.… Expand

Almodovar sprinkles us with movie magic, suspending belief while tugging at reason and emotion and the dreamworld, in a small film resonant of Federico Fellini, his obvious muse. Welcome back to the movies.

I decided to see this movie after seeing such good reviews. I was totally disappointed. I did not buy into the story line.

Pedro Almodovar may be the best movie director alive, and only he could include murder, rape, incest, and arson in a tremendously entertaining vehicle. Hitchcockian in nature, this movie tackles these difficult subjects with a series of beautifully framed scenes and intersecting story lines. Penelope Cruz provides a career performance in this hauntingly superb, Spanish-language film.

Quite an interesting movie. While most of the movie, was both truly enjoyable and bizarre at the same time, the director deftly wrapped up the movie. Upon looking back at each event in the movie, the viewer can make sense of each scene for its significance to the outcome of the movie. A must-see.

Almodovar is the only movie director that can make the most unusual and crazy situation feel like every day life. He really knows how to extract the best performances from female actors. The

Minor Almodovar. And a bit messy in tying the strands together. Moments of the old mastery show through, but it's over when the mother and daughter reconcile. But, regrettably it wasn't over till it was.

Though I don't consider Volver to be Almodovar's best film to date, it is easily his most accessible. Volver is the closest he will probably ever come to a "conventional Hollywood" comedy. With an ensemble cast of mostly all actresses lead by the Radiant Penelope Cruz, Almodovar has written his sharpest, funniest screenplay yet, holding back on his usual outrageous elements in order to let the talented ladies of the cast work their magic with his words. This is clearly Cruz's best performance to date, and her love and trust for Pedro is evident in every frame, the same holds true for Carmen Maura, Yohana Cobo, Blanca Portillo and Lola Duenas who are all given ample screen time to shine as well. You can count on seeing the names Penelope Cruz and Pedro Almodovar on your Oscar Pool Ballots for 2006!!… Expand

Best film by Almodovar. It does a magnificent job at capturing the emotions of the characters and of the Spanish people.

Wonderful movie. Funny, sad, with strong female characters and great acting. Penelope Cruz is fantastic in this.

Ya era necesario una película diferente y siempre se agredece un guíon original. Cuando pensamos que Almodovar ha´bia hecho todo lo que podía nos sorprende con esta película muy bien lograda. Bien por Pedro Amodovar.

Overblown blah blah telenovela flat and meaningless much ado about very little.

Wonderfully real yet magical film. Penelope Cruz is a tremendous screen presence when acting in Spanish - the polar opposite of her performances in English. See it.

The guy's done it again. After a pretty weak "Bad education", which made me remember why I usually go to watch his movies in apprehension, Almodovar gives us yet another master piece. I tend not to go for the mixing of ghosts, and the unreal, with real life, but this movie pulls it off brilliantly. Cruz is, besides to-die-for gorgeous, at her very best acting level, in a performance brimming with talenet and "justesse". And the rest of the cast does not lag behind. A joy to watch, a must-see, even for those who are not fans of this director/actress. Believe me, you won't regret it.… Expand

This film is somehow lighthearted and complex at the same time. This goes with the characters, the plot, the scenes, all of it. I don't know about it being a chick flick, but it is definitely dark enough for those who want depth and light enough for those who want wonder. Even though it ends abruptly, it finishes completely.

Funny movie in that absurd Almodovar way. Very subtle - but definitely not one of his best.

Wonderful all around.

Excellent chick flick! I loved it.

Almodóvar's "Volver" is a very unique motion picture. The film had an amazing and very original story and was delivered in a fresh-dialogued screenplay. The story of a ghost that visits the village full of women is simply shocking and poetic at the same time. The shots of the film were simply magical. They were beautiful and had great colors all over them. The acting was outsanding specially Penelope Cruz as a woman, who's mother died in an accident and is about to reveal a thruth about her daughter, an abused girl. She gave powerful performing moments specially when she discovers that her daughter killed a man who tried to abuse her or when she sang "Volver". The music was well selected too. The only problem of the film is that it had a few editing problems. I would've ended the film with Cruz hugging Maura. Overall: Almodóvar is a wizard and made a magical work of art that should be honored come Oscar time.… Expand

Beautifully made movie - the best Almodovar to date. He takes on women in a new way in this film, all the characters have a natural and profound depth. Bravo!

Pleasantly surprised by this movie--not as morbid as his others. Terrifically acted by all, including Penelope Cruz--strikingly like a young Sophia Loren. The one-liners are terrific. Must see.

Almodovar is not just a great director, but also a great writer. And, most difficult of all a great creator of great and clever stories. In recent times, when there's no inspiration, more and more films are based on situations, dialog, or production values, and the actual story can be told in one sentence. It is difficult to find good writers of good stories. Almodovar writes great, complex stories, and and is a great story-teller and film director.… Expand

I like my movies with beautiful cinematography, well composed sets.....real-like engaging stories....and an all together a seamless work of art.....but all of Almodovar films are too complicated and never ending.....too much.....I wonder if he ever went to film school......The only movie I liked somwhat more than the rest was Talk to Her......and I liked bits and pieces of the rest of them......and I do like his homosexual and tranvestite characters ( he gets thumps up for using these charatcers in such a natural way) ....Maybe if an american director/ studio remakes his movies, maybe they would work for me.… Expand

As good as "All About My Mother" and that's saying a lot. This is a humane, funny movie the glides on top of tragedy - a 50's studio film updated and improved. The acting, story, camera work, all are top notch. I really don't like what Penelope Cruz has done in English language films but here she nails it.

While I enjoyed Almodóvar's "La Mala Educación," it is refreshing to see his return to strong female characters. And the ensemble of wonderful actresses (from Chus Lampreave to the newcomer Yohana Cobo) does not disappoint. With the exception of a bit of lip synching, it was a pleasure to watch.

Just perfect.

One of the best pictures of the year. Funny, beautiful and woderful masterpiece. Great Penelope.

Superb! Fabulous writing, great acting, and the brightest, funniest, sharpest, warmest movie possible about a family's tragedies.

This was the best movie I've seen in the past two years.

A Maestro´s masterpice, a colored definition of the women courage.

This film was an almost complete waste of time. The plot is riddled with holes and dead end story-lines. And every "twist" is SO predictable. If this film were not made by a respected director, would any one care about it?

Penelope Cruz is FABULOUS in this and the film is amazing.

My favorite film by Almodovar. I laughed a lot. He is unique.

If you think Almodovar is the best filmmaker nowadays, you have to see this masterpiece.

Terrific. Superb.

Probablemente la mejor pelicula del año. Penelope impresionante igual que Carmen Maura. Almodovar demuestra una vez mas que es el mejor director vivo del mundo. A pesar de que imperdonablemente aun no le concedieran el Oscar a mejor director. No importa sus fans que somos millones en todo el mundo, ya lo consideramos el mas grande.

Masterpiece .For me,the best fim of the year. Penelope is great in Volver. I hope Oscar nominations for Volver, Almodovar and Penelope Cruz!!

This isn't just the best foreign language release in 2006, it's one of the best films of the the year. Cruz is utterly wonderful in this and Almodovar's genuine love of women shines through beautifully. Full of surprising twists, charming wit and outstanding acting all around, 'Volver' is Almodovar firing on all cylindars. This may be a smaller film than 'All About My Mother' and 'Talk to Her' were, but it's just as rewarding. Masterful.… Expand

Amazing performances. Penélope Cruz is always great in Almodóvar's films, but "Volver" is her revelation as the best Spanish actress.

"Volver" is a present, a precious piece of heaven. Mr. Almodovar's style is perfect, full of passion. Does it deserve an Oscar Award nomination for Best Picture? Sure.

You will not know whether it is a comedy or a drama. Almodóvar's new story will make you laugh and cry. His script is almost perfect and Penélope Cruz, the best actress of the year.

Penélope Cruz is a goddess. She is lovely in 'Volver' and deserves all the awards this year.

When I see Almodóvar's pictures, I come into a new perception of life, a fantastic world in which the Spanish filmmaker shows us a new concept of women's feelings and demonstrates he is a master, a genius.

"Volver" is a new masterpiece by Almodóvar. Penélope Cruz shows her best performance and Almodóvar signs one of his best scripts.

I loved Penélope Cruz's role. She's wonderful. It has become my favourite Almodóvar's film. You've got to see it!

Volver is an extravaganza in which Cruz has detached herself fully from her typecast roles of sexy neighbor, to a leading film actress. A transformation of water to wine: to be perfectly honest. Pay particular attention to the monologue the elder mother recites to Cruz; and to Cruz's daughter's actions .

I have been able to see "Volver" today. People who attend the special screening were nervous because Almodóvar's films are loved in the US. After the show, I proved everyone enjoyed a lot with this new story of Spanish filmmaker. I really got surprised with Penélope Cruz's performance!

Almodóvar faces a new opportunity to win an Oscar Award for "Volver" screenplay. This new film reminds me of "All About My Mother" or "Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown". I think Almodóvar's characters are full of love and passion. I love his style because it's eternal.

Great Penelope Cruz. Almodovar's new film is a ghost tale in which nothing is as we think at the beginning. I cried, I laughed. I love this one as much as 'Talk to He' or 'All about my Mother'.