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Scent of a Woman
Universal Pictures


9.1

based on 14 reviews
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How did we calculate this?

based on 6 votes
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FILM:

MPAA RATING: R

Starring Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Venture, Bradley Whitford, and Rochelle Oliver

Al Pacino won his first Best Actor Oscar for his brilliant portrayal of an overbearing, blind retired Lieutenant Colonel who hires a young guardian (O'Donnell), to assist him. It's a heart-wrenching and heartwarming tale of opposites attracting when they embark on a wild weekend trip that will change the lives of both men forever. (Universal)

GENRE(S):	Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Bo Goldman Ruggero Maccari (character from Profumo Di Donna) Dino Risi (character from Profumo Di Donna) Giovanni Arpino (novel Il Buio E Il Miele)
DIRECTED BY:	Martin Brest
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: February 8, 2005 Video: July 23, 1993 Theatrical: December 23, 1992
RUNNING TIME:	157 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

Best Actor in a Leading Role (Pacino), 65th Annual Academy Awards; Nominated, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Picture, 65th Annual Academy Awards; Best Motion Picture (Drama), Best Performance by an Actor (Drama) and Best Screenplay, 1993 Golden Globe Awards

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...

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

The good thing is that the principals and film makers make the absolute most of a conventional opportunity.

Los Angeles Times Peter Rainer

But it's essentially a tour de force for Pacino, and he sustains us through the slow passages by working with a closed-in intensity that turns each scene into a kind of mini-movie complete with its own ticking time bomb. [23Dec1992 Pg. 1]

TV Guide Staff(not credited)

Thanks to a landmark performance by Al Pacino, SCENT OF A WOMAN is an agreeably watchable film. If they'd made it half an hour shorter and re-written the ending, it could have been a great one.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

By the end of Scent of a Woman, we have arrived at the usual conclusion of the coming-of-age movie, and the usual conclusion of the prep school movie. But rarely have we been taken there with so much intelligence and skill.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

If there's anything special about the film, it's that on this occasion, the emotional realism of the characters, especially Slade, is heartwrenchingly believable.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

In the end, Scent of a Woman offers little more than lumbering simulation of Rain Man's nimble magic. But Pacino's performance-scabrous, tender, ripely theatrical-is a master showman's trick.

Washington Post Hal Hinson

This is a great performance from Pacino, who has the good luck here to work with Goldman's mostly wonderful, edgy script, but it might not become a beloved one because the man he plays is such a bitter pill.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

In the end, however, when all Pacino's demons are bared, they don't add up to the poignant punchline you were set up for. The movie seems to have two or three finales too many -- a disturbing trend in all too many films of late.

The New Yorker Terrence Rafferty

This is acting that chills the heart beyond any possibility of warming.

USA Today Mike Clark

A 2 1/2-hour movie with halves that don't quite mesh, it still gives Al Pacino a role that's a perfect fit. [23 Dec 1992 Pg. 01.D]

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Given the talent on board, there's an undeniable flair and effectiveness in certain scenes (such as Pacino dancing the tango with a stranger in a posh restaurant), but the meretricious calculation finally sticks in one's throat.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

There's no denying that Pacino's performance is superb. The rest of the movie plays like a bunch of inconsequentially strung together sequences.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

The movie, however, is a crock.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Instead, you get a nominal character study that boasts a single mighty performance and one nifty scene; alas, both performance and scene exist in a narrative vacuum - the plot is non-existent and the pace makes the ice age seem hasty.

The average user rating for this movie is 9.1 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Mark G. gave it an8:
A fine film, if overly drawn out. Its central drawing point is the great acting masterclass given by Mr. Pacino. He really brings a life and charisma to the Lt. Col. that i find hard to imagine other actors capable of replicating. Chris O Donnell for once appears not to be made out of mahogony, and give a restrained, yet powerful performance as the young student who acts as Pacino's carer. The set pieces are fabulous fun to watch, and include such memorable episodes as the blind Pacino driving a ferrari through the traffic filled streets. Overall, a very enjoyable, and well directed movie.

Parker G. gave it an8:
An unexpected treasure found on the shelf of my own DVD collection. I had purchased the movie many months ago based on the Academy Award to best actor. I had no idea what to expect and was completely enraptured with the journey the movie took me on. A wonderful movie. Don't analyze, just enjoy.

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Scent of a Woman Universal Pictures

Scent of a Woman
Universal Pictures