Mighty Aphrodite

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The movie reveals its serious undertones (with commentary by the Greek chorus, which occasionally breaks into song and dance) while at the same time developing a plot that lends itself to slapstick.

San Francisco Examiner Barbara Shulgasser

It was only natural that Allen would eventually have to make a Greek drama.

San Francisco Chronicle Leah Garchik

Woody Allen's incredible wit is at the heart of all that's wonderful in Mighty Aphrodite, and Woody Allen's incredible ego is at the core of its major flaw.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Allen appears determined to craft a motion picture that can be laughed at without plumbing any especially deep neuroses of the human condition.

Variety Todd McCarthy

A zippy, frothy confection that emerges as agreeable middle-range Woody.

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

Dependably well made and not quite like any Allen film that came before. Nimble film making like this isn’t necessarily geared to the magnum opus, but Mr. Allen can achieve fine, amusing results even while thinking small. [27 October 1995, P.C1]

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

A sketchy trifle that is sporadically amusing but also off-putting around the edges.

Washington Post Hal Hinson

It's a mixed bag--deftly and hilariously philosophical in some places, deeply disengaged and prosaic in others.

USA Today Mike Clark

Allen's connective scenes are slack and barely functional, and even his asides lack bite.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

An uneven blend of mirth and malice.

TV Guide Harlan Jacobson

Is there no one in Allen's circle who dares to tell the master this ain't funny?

The New Yorker Anthony Lane

It treads enjoyably over old ground, and it has a surprisingly foul mouth, though rather than cruising along with the ease of Allen's best work it tends to hobble, and it closes in a flurry of undecided endings.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Fans of Allen, the comedian, will be glad to hear there are more chuckles here than in his last film, "Bullets Over Broadway." Fans of Allen, the plot craftsman, will find a lot less discipline and imagination in the writing. In truth, Mighty Aphrodite is mighty slight.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Allen gets a chance to unload all his usual patronizing contempt for and middle-class "wisdom" about his own working-class origins.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

In this loser-and-the-whore story line, Allen's sensibilities have taken a turn for the nasty.

Austin Chronicle Steve Davis

Mighty Aphrodite may take its thematic and structural cues from Greek tragedy, but it's second-rate Borscht Belt all the way.