CNET Networks Entertainment GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer | Metacritic | MP3.com | TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games Books TV
Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

DVD and Video

Upcoming Release Calendar
Awards & Bests By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Film In Our Forums

 

Recent Releases in DVD and Video

sort by name sort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.



Once in the Life
Lions Gate Films

Once in the Life reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 52 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
N/A out of 10
based on 14 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 0 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: R for pervasive languge, strong violence and some drug content

Starring Laurence Fishburne, Gregory Hines, and Annabella Sciorra

A gritty drama centered around brotherhood and friendship, Once in the Life is a realistic depiction of how every day choices affect our path in life. (Lions Gate Films)


GENRE(S): Drama  
WRITTEN BY: Laurence Fishburne (also play Riff Raff)  
DIRECTED BY: Laurence Fishburne  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: March 27, 2001 
Video: March 27, 2001 
Theatrical: October 27, 2000 
RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

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...

80
Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
Fishburne excels in his triple-threat roles as actor, director and adapter of his own play, and his cast glows under his direction.
Read Full Review
75
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Showcases a trio of terrific performances.
Read Full Review
70
LA Weekly F. X. Feeney
May lack any transcendent point that would make it exceptional, but it is certainly a worthy start, and worth catching.
Read Full Review
68
Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard
Has a credibly gritty texture, thanks in large part to Fishburne's generosity with his fellow actors.
Read Full Review
63
New York Post Lou Lumenick
Basically it's an acting exercise - a one-set rendition of that old stage and movie standby, the ex-convict struggling to go straight who's tempted to attempt one last score.
Read Full Review
63
Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
Strong, hard, dirty, funny, moving atmospheric and laced with scabrously musical street dialogue.
Read Full Review
50
New York Daily News Jack Mathews
As urban gangster drama, Once in the Life is way below mundane, and Fishburne's direction exceeds the rookie jitters.
Read Full Review
50
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
The movie remains an actor's exercise--too much dialogue, too much time in the room, too much happening offstage, or in the past, or in memory, or in imagination.
Read Full Review
50
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
If Laurence Fishburne could only have harnessed his fierce performance to drive his directoral debut, Once in the Life might have made something memorable of the done-to-death tale of small-time crooks on the run after a heist gone wrong.
Read Full Review
50
Village Voice Michael Atkinson
While the line-readings are often dead-on, Fishburne's movie suffers from the usual one-room claustrophobia and Mametian repetitions.
Read Full Review
50
Variety Robert Koehler
A film that ultimately feels stagebound and excessively talky, but which showcases an exceptional performance.
Read Full Review
40
TV Guide Ken Fox
The good news is that Fishburne also stars, and has recruited a talented group of actors to flesh out the cast; the bad news is that no one seems to have been on hand to help out with the rest of film.
Read Full Review
40
Film.com Henry Cabot Beck
Doesn't have a lot to offer that hasn't been done better -- and worse -- in hundreds of ghetto-sink shoot-em-ups.
Read Full Review
40
The New York Times Dana Stevens
(Fishburne's) performance here, witty and profane, vulnerable and strutting, nearly holds the movie together.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 0.0 (out of 10) based on 0 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Discuss this movie in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | BOOKS | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

About CNET Networks | Jobs | Advertise | Partnerships                                Visit other CNET Networks sites:

Copyright ©2007 CNET Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use