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Anywhere But Here
20th Century Fox
FILM:
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for sex-related material
Starring
Susan Sarandon,
Natalie Portman,
Hart Bochner,
and
Shawn Hatosy
A comedy-drama about the evolving relationship between a mother and daughter who leave a small town behind and try to make a new life for themselves in Beverly Hills. (Twentieth Century Fox)
| GENRE(S): |
Drama
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Mona Simpson (novel)
Alvin Sargent
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Wayne Wang
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: May 2, 2000
Video: May 2, 2000
Theatrical: November 12, 1999
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
114 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |
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...
91
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
Susan Sarandon has never been more outrageously appealing. Natalie Portman is simply exquisite.
88
San Francisco Examiner
Wesley Morris
A monumentally graceful union of two extremely dissimilar stars, one inspired cinematographer and an exceptionally patient, curious, independent-minded director.
88
Chicago Tribune
Michael Wilmington
These are real characters, fully observed, gutsily written, beautifully acted by the two leads.
85
TNT RoughCut
Christopher Brandon
Sarandon and Portman have sizzling electricity that makes every funny, touching or sad moment between them seem even more fascinating than the last.
83
Portland Oregonian
Diana Abu-Jaber
A smart study of the identity-shredding inherent in so much dissatisfaction and relocation.
80
The New York Times
Janet Maslin
Wang once again works splendidly with actresses, and boy, does he have a lot to work with this time.
80
Washington Post
Stephen Hunter
So closely observed, so funny and so true to the junk that is everybody's real--as opposed to movie--life that it comes to feel like some kind of a miracle.
75
San Francisco Chronicle
Edward Guthmann
Sarandon and Portman work beautifully -- together, negotiating a range of emotional keys that blend comedy and drama in the same moment.
75
Miami Herald
Rene Rodriguez
Light on plot but heavy on observation: Wang concentrates on exploring the unseen ways in which mother and daughter rely on each other.
75
Boston Globe
Jay Carr
Aims its big, bold mother-daughter conflicts straight at the heart by way of the tear ducts, and connects.
75
New York Daily News
Jami Bernard
An actress' dream.
75
Baltimore Sun
Ann Hornaday
A quietly resonant movie about the painful alliance between single mothers and their daughters, and the complicated drama of separation.
75
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
Well worth seeing for the incandescent Portman.
75
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
The movie's interest is not in the plot, which is episodic and "colorful," but in the performances.
75
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
The story is a sort of "Stella Dallas Meets Slums of Beverly Hills," helped by heartfelt acting from its talented stars.
73
Mr. Showbiz
Kevin Maynard
You could do a lot worse than spend two hours in the company of two such talented actresses.
70
Newsweek
Jeff Giles
Portman gives a superb, understated performance as a teen who gets whiplash from watching her mother's mood swings.
63
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
Corny and blubbery as it is, still packs an emotional wallop.
63
USA Today
Susan Wloszczyna
It's terrific to see such well-matched actresses of opposing generations duke it out.
60
Film.com
Robert Horton
This relationship might be strong enough to carry an observational novel, but the movie feels like it's missing something.
60
LA Weekly
Ella Taylor
Compared to the glib, pandering rosiness of most current chick-flicks, Anywhere but Here is a class act.
58
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
What's missing from this by-the-numbers drama is a sense of abandon.
50
Chicago Reader
Lisa Alspector
Poor execution sometimes points up the difference between the telling of a story and the story itself--in this case, without diminishing the power of the latter.
50
Film.com
John Hartl
The ride in this road movie isn't always as smooth as it could be, but even the bumps have some charm.
50
TV Guide
Ken Fox
Lacks the real emotional wallop these two fine actresses...seem ready to provide.
50
Austin Chronicle
Steve Davis
Strives to depict its love-hate relationship in emotionally neutral terms, but the sympathies are ultimately lopsided.
50
Variety
Emanuel Levy
With half a dozen roles to her credit, Portman is a natural performer who brings rough edges to any role she plays -- the movie is inconceivable without her.
50
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
Formula mother-brat stuff...It's only the deft teamwork of Portman and Sarandon that keeps the triteness at bay.
50
Salon.com
Mary Elizabeth Williams
Despite its stellar leading ladies, Anywhere But Here is still a predictable generation-gap drama.
40
Dallas Observer
Jean Oppenheimer
Slick, glossy, and artificial.
30
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
While adapting accomplished fiction such as this is a lure Hollywood can never resist, some characters breathe better on the page, and that is the case here.
30
Time
Richard Schickel
What it doesn't have is a central figure you can give a hoot about.
20
Film.com
Gemma Files
Sarandon prostitutes her blazing talent and sharp political sensibility to the service of a pile of misogynistic bullflop.
 The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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