Personal Velocity: Three Portraits
United Artists | Release Date: November 22, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
9
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Miller shows terrific talent as a director with a sharp eye for images, a keen ear for dialogue, and a refreshing willingness to take storytelling risks. Read full review
100
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A no-frills docu-Dogma plainness, yet Miller lingers on invisible, nearly psychic nuances, leaping into digressions of memory and desire. She boxes these women's souls right open for us. Read full review
90
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
The cumulative effect is that of watching misspent lives disintegrate before your eyes. Ms. Miller's canny accomplishment is a triumph, giving the material weight and heart. This is one of the finest pictures of the year. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Everything and everyone is observed sharply, succinctly and indelibly.
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The actors are gifted at establishing character with just a few well-chosen strokes (as a short story writer must also be able to do). We learn as much about each of these women in half an hour as we learn about most movie characters in two hours. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
Miller's strength in her stories and in the film is in her ability to push past ideology and get right down to the nitty-gritty of desire. Read full review
80
VarietyDennis Harvey
Impresses with the originality of its observation, storytelling techniques and filmmaking style. Read full review
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The movie's much more than a castor-oil feminist message about self-realization, bad old Dad and all those awful men. The performances take care of that. Read full review
80
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Embraces reality, humanity and compassion, as leavened by wisdom and wit. Read full review
80
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
Moviegoers bewailing the absence of literacy and shallowness of character they usually get for their seven bucks need look no further than this fluent and satisfying triptych for a source of hope. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Has the confessional intimacy of a video diary and performances to match, particularly those of Kyra Sedgwick and Parker Posey. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
A drama that's often insightful and occasionally powerful but is still, at heart, a piece of television and not a work of film. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The acting is uniformly excellent, with Kyra Sedgwick and Fairuza Balk in particular deserving to be singled out for praise. Read full review
75
New York PostMegan Lehmann
Succinct yet detailed storytelling, evocative cinematography (by Ellen Kuras) and arresting central performances add up to a trio of engaging character portraits. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
It's not afraid to be funny, tragic and decidedly female.
70
Film ThreatMerle Bertrand
An intensely moving and oftentimes haunting film; a compelling look at the unique life paths of three totally different women. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
All three actresses are simply dazzling, particularly Balk, who's finally been given a part worthy of her considerable talents. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
The movie's title refers to a comment about how people grow at their own rates. Miller's movie has its moments of impressive velocity, but it never quite takes off. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
The first two stories are so well-drawn you hate to leave them. But Miller's femaleempowerment anthology carries a smart whiff of other literary looks at ordinary, extraordinary women, such as Grace Paley's "Enormous Changes at the Last Minute." Read full review
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