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All About Lily Chou-Chou

EMAILPRINTCowboy Pictures

All About Lily Chou-Chou reviews
73
7.4 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 19 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller

Written by: Shunji Iwai

Directed by: Shunji Iwai

Release Date:
Theatrical: July 12, 2002
DVD: February 15, 2005

Running Time: 146 minutes, Color

Origin: Japan

Language(s): Japanese (with English subtitles)

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring Hayato Ichihara, Shûgo Oshinari, Yû Aoi, Ayumi Ito, and Takao Osawa

An epic story of a Japanese teenager's life in the age of the Internet.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Iwai's ambitious drama is strikingly shot, poignantly acted by a splendid young cast, and enriched by surprising use of Debussy classics on the soundtrack.

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91

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Gorgeously shot tableaux of random adolescent brutality are interrupted by flashes of computer garble and chat-room talk, backed by ''Lily's'' music, with its blend of Debussy-like arpeggios and Enya-like sighing.

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90

Village Voice Michael Atkinson

It's a uniquely lonely film, and one of the year's most memorable.

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90

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

A sprawling and adventurous tale of teen alienation, might just be the movie that pushes the Japanese new wave out of the film-geek ghetto.

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88

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Awash in strangeness, a poem that details what it's like to be 13 at the end of a millennium.

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83

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Captures the pain and desperation of adolescent powerlessness and humiliation with powerful intimacy, strung out to almost 2 1/2 lazy hours of stories that wander through an ever-widening group of characters.

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80

Variety Derek Elley

For all its digressions and occasional flat moments, Iwai's movie is a remarkable, acutely involving one, working on an emotional level that can only really be expressed through music -- a strong component in all of Iwai's pics.

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80

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Drifting through time and space without firmly situating the viewer, Iwai's elliptical style requires patience, but also a willingness to be carried along by its gorgeous, dreamy lyricism.

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80

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Continually jarring. Although the film's narrative thread may prove chronically elusive, Iwai's depiction of what life can be like for far too many teens comes across loud and clear.

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80

LA Weekly Ernest Hardy

One of the most haunting, viciously honest coming-of-age films in recent memory.

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75

San Francisco Chronicle Jonathan Curiel

Requires some patience. Once you get into its rhythm -- including the long flashbacks and intermittent use of the screen as an Internet chat room -- the movie becomes a heady experience.

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70

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Shunji Iwae's film began life as an interactive online "novel" and unfolds in a series of achronological vignettes whose cumulative effect is chilling.

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70

New Times (L.A.) David Ehrenstein

There's an eerie coolness to this film that's quite unsettling and un-Oshima-like. Rather lengthy, it requires patience. But adventurous moviegoers aren't likely to mind.

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70

The New York Times A.O. Scott

Much of All About Lily Chou-Chou is mesmerizing: some of its plaintiveness could make you weep. If only Mr. Iwai trusted the material enough.

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63

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

Although way too long at 146 minutes and extremely confusing in structure, the story of a lonely, picked-on eighth-grader (Hayato Ichihara) who finds refuge in the ethereal music of a Bjork-like pop singer packs a solid punch.

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63

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Kicks into high gear in its final 45 minutes, when the singer's fans descend on one of her concerts. It's worth the wait.

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50

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

So enigmatic, oblique and meandering that it's like coded religious texts that requires monks to decipher.

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30

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

The concept was interesting and charming in "Love Letters," up to a point, but here it quickly becomes repetitive, obvious, and dull.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 19 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Chad S. gave it an8:
After "All About Lily Chou Chou" pulls a switch-a-roo with its principal protagonist, and gives us a second boy to carry us down the stretch, it does take some time to adjust. A potentially great film is watered down slightly by a purposeful lack of clarity, which seems unnecessary because we already have the on-screen text to give the film a diffusive quality. But the soundtrack saves the day. "All About Lily Chou Chou", unlike any film I've ever seen, pins down the sacrosanct relationship between alienated teenagers and their music. Told with a little more convention, without necesarily sacrificing any narrative sophistication, this film could've been the equivalent of "The 400 Blows".

Erik W gave it a10:
Do not listen to to Jiminy Crickets. He didn't even take consideration of the films great cinematography, music, and story. Lily Chou-Chou is a wonderous film, a film that is suited for those who can relate to the horrors of youth. It is somewhat a modern take of "The Catcher of the Rye," only it is set in modern day Japan. The movies requires a concious viewer, one who can trully engage in the films unique style and characters. Sure, it isn't for anyone but this is a film for those who want to pursue in the film industry or want to study the Japanese culture. A beautiful piece of artwork. Also, calling this movie dogs..t is just wrong and insulting.

Finance Department gave it a10:
This is without a doubt the hardest I've ever had to work to "get" a movie. But it was worth it. Stunning cinematography and a story that touched me deeply.

robert h. gave it an8:
Anyone who tells you it's not worth seeing is not worth listening to about film.

Mel gave it an8:
I was good because it was centered around Yuichi and you see how his school and personal life plays out. This is a movie for those who think there life is hard or for those who feel like they don't belong. All I can really say is ether.

Buttered Poporn gave it a2:
Way too dull for me. i Lasted maybe 25 minutes and that's twice a long as my wife, but i guess she was always a bit quicker than me. Maybe's this alienated kids life is that disconnected and that vacuous, but I'll be damned if that means I have to suffer through it for the length of a movie. Unless this dope's life is more interesting than yours, and I sincerely hope it is not, then do yourself a favor and don't waste your precious time.

Ashley S. gave it a10:
A beautiful, haunting movie. I've never watched a sadder movie in my life. I actually watched this in Japan and after it was over, I was filled with so much disgust that I swore never to watch it again. It was only after a couple of days meditiation that I realized how great of an accomplishment it was, despite being one of the saddest movies ever made.

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