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Yi yi: A One and a Two...
Metascore
92 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 23 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
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  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    100
    Great, bittersweet family drama.
  2. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    100
    Yang favors a gentle and introspective style that shows how deep and strong everyday emotions can run. A memorable treat.
  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Edward Guthmann
    100
    Wise, delicate and impeccably performed, Yi Yi is a three- hour drama that looks at one middle-class family in transition -- and does so with such a kind and probing eye that we all see our lives reflected through Yang's lens.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    100
    These 173 minutes don't drag, they waltz.
  5. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    100
    It's a magical film -- an exquisitely made and exceedingly wise family drama that communicates a touching sense of the universality of the human condition, and leaves us with the rich emotional satisfaction we just don't seem to get often at the movies anymore.
  6. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Charles Taylor
    100
    Quietly overwhelming.
  7. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    100
    In exchange for three hours of your time, Yi Yi will give you more life.
  8. Mr. Showbiz
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    94
    The one movie so far this year that every filmgoer should see, if only to get a big dose of what we've been missing from Hollywood.
  9. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    90
    Generous, soulful film.
  10. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    90
    A marvel of delicacy and humor.
    All this critic's reviews
  11. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    90
    Although dense with incident and motif, the movie has an effortless flow.
  12. Film.com
    Reviewed by: David D'Arcy
    90
    More than a family saga, this is a family meditation.
  13. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    90
    Wonderfully humanistic film. Yi Yi investigates the entire melody of life.
  14. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: David Ansen
    90
    One of the year's best: a rich, funny, enormously humane portrait of a middle-class Taipei family in the throes of romantic, economic and spiritual upheaval.
  15. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    90
    On one level, Yi Yi is classic soap opera, with a suicide attempt, a wedding ceremony, even a brutal 11 o'clock news murder, all in the mix. But Yang's direction is so admirably restrained, it lends rich heft to everything.
  16. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    90
    Yang seems to miss nothing as he interweaves shifting viewpoints and poignant emotional refrains.
  17. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    Only rarely is a film this observant and tender about the ups and downs of daily existence.
  18. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    88
    Passes like an evening spent with friends.
  19. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    88
    It may be the first meditative action movie.
  20. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    88
    Yi Yi is an intimate movie, for all its length and complexity.
  21. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    80
    Builds so gradually you probably won't realize it's a near-masterpiece until it's over, but there are hints along the way.
  22. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    78
    Capturing the nuances of quotidian life may not be everyone's cup of tea.
  23. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Foreman
    75
    Presents an intelligent, profound and at times heartrending slice of Taiwanese middle-class existence - as seen by characters at different stages of life.
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 40 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 22
  3. Negative: 3 out of 22
  1. NachoC
    10
    (Yi Yi, or One and Two) is one of the best films I have ever seen. Took me two sittings; not because of its 178 minute running time but for the sheer epic vision it has on real life. Actual life.… Full Review »
  2. KimW
    8
    I watched this movie in chunks in a Chinese class. Overall, it is a wonderfully moving movie. As a teenager, I find this movie a bit slow. This movie may be too slow for most teenagers used to action movies like Dark Knight. The stories of the different family members are common, but unique to each of them. It captures all parts of life, and has the most adorable little boy being the curious and wise little kid. I do find that some of the questions asked in the movie a little "forced", and Yang was maybe trying to be too deep. All in all, a great movie. If anything, watch the very last scene.… Full Review »
  3. JeffC.
    10
    Nicest movie I've seen in years. Very real, very human and interesting.
See all user reviews »