Shower

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Without ever dipping into indignity among wet, half-naked men, Shower sparkles with joy.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Superbly acted, cleverly written, sensitively directed.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Comes as close to perfect as any movie I've seen lately.

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.

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.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Intimate, deeply affecting family drama.

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.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

It's a beautifully crafted, almost perfectly sustained little drama that skillfully makes a subtle, bittersweet point.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Yang turns this heartwarmer into a feat of delicate magic.

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.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Beguiling and poignant.

Dallas Observer Andy Klein

Zhang deftly and quickly draws a half-dozen supporting characters, and his pacing never flags.

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.

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.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

You won't see a more humane and delicately moving riff this year on the theme of getting clean.

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.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Shower is also a comedy -- but it's the movie's melancholy streak that is its strongest asset.

Baltimore Sun Ann Hornaday

Shower makes for a lovely and poignant journey.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Uplifting, witty.

Time Richard Corliss

Take this Shower and feel refreshed; it's a cool dip on a hot day.

Film.com Robert Horton

There's something thin about the picture-both in its ideas and its visual texture.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Pretty good going for a ton of moisture.

Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson

Shower isn't a bad movie -- just a baneful sign of things to come.

Village Voice J. Hoberman

It's far too soggy a confection for my taste.

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

Sentiment, the kind bordering on schmaltz and easy tears, is found in Shower, a well-meaning generational drama.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

This gentle, slow-moving film contains some charming sequences but no new insights into the pleasures and burdens of family.