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Shower
Sony Pictures Classics
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for language and nudity
Starring
Wu Jiang,
Pu Cun Xin,
Zhu Xu,
and
He Zeng
Set in and around a traditional Chinese communal bathhouse, the film chronicles changing times that put the bathhouse's future in doubt, as the son of the owner comes home to visit when he receives a postcard from his mentally challenged brother informing him that their father has died.
| GENRE(S): |
Drama
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Liu Fen Dou
Cai Xiang Jun
Fendou Liu
Diao Yi Nan
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Yang Zhang
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: December 12, 2000
Video: December 12, 2000
Theatrical: July 7, 2000
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
92 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
China |
| LANGUAGE(S): |
Mandarin (with English subtitles) |
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
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Without ever dipping into indignity among wet, half-naked men, Shower sparkles with joy.
100
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
Superbly acted, cleverly written, sensitively directed.
100
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
Comes as close to perfect as any movie I've seen lately.
88
Chicago Tribune
Michael Wilmington
The beauties of Shower lie in its human observation, in its funny interplay, candor, lusty acting and hearty simplicity - and also in its warm imagery and the fascinating symbolic use it makes of water.
88
San Francisco Examiner
G. Allen Johnson
A warm-hearted valentine to old traditions in China that are being obliterated by modern - and admittedly more efficient - technology.
88
New York Daily News
Jack Mathews
Intimate, deeply affecting family drama.
83
Portland Oregonian
Kim Morgan
A lovely film that requires a leisurely sit to think, Shower is not so much a shower as a bath, and a refreshing one at that.
83
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
It's a beautifully crafted, almost perfectly sustained little drama that skillfully makes a subtle, bittersweet point.
80
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
Yang turns this heartwarmer into a feat of delicate magic.
80
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Writers Liu Fen Dou and Cai Xiang Jun and director Zhang Yang move freely and gracefully between fantasy and reality in this sentimental film, which never becomes as trite or calculated as you might fear.
80
Los Angeles Times
Kevin Thomas
Beguiling and poignant.
80
Dallas Observer
Andy Klein
Zhang deftly and quickly draws a half-dozen supporting characters, and his pacing never flags.
78
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
Above all, it's a satisfying, almost restful work, as welcome in this less-than-thrilling cinematic summer as a cool soak on a hot summer's day.
75
Philadelphia Inquirer
Carrie Rickey
Told in a leisurely though concise 92 minutes, Shower is a purifying and refreshing spray of hope that family and lifestyle differences can be reconciled. Lovely.
75
Boston Globe
Jay Carr
You won't see a more humane and delicately moving riff this year on the theme of getting clean.
75
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
Although it has some contrived plot devices (including the looming deadline of the city's threat to the bathhouse), it is warm and observant, and its ending is surprisingly true to the material.
75
Miami Herald
Rene Rodriguez
Shower is also a comedy -- but it's the movie's melancholy streak that is its strongest asset.
75
Baltimore Sun
Ann Hornaday
Shower makes for a lovely and poignant journey.
70
The New York Times
Stephen Holden
Uplifting, witty.
70
Time
Richard Corliss
Take this Shower and feel refreshed; it's a cool dip on a hot day.
70
Film.com
Robert Horton
There's something thin about the picture-both in its ideas and its visual texture.
60
LA Weekly
Ella Taylor
Pretty good going for a ton of moisture.
59
Mr. Showbiz
Michael Atkinson
Shower isn't a bad movie -- just a baneful sign of things to come.
50
Village Voice
J. Hoberman
It's far too soggy a confection for my taste.
50
San Francisco Chronicle
Edward Guthmann
Sentiment, the kind bordering on schmaltz and easy tears, is found in Shower, a well-meaning generational drama.
40
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
This gentle, slow-moving film contains some charming sequences but no new insights into the pleasures and burdens of family.
 The average user rating for this movie is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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