57
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Los Angeles TimesPeter RainerLos Angeles TimesPeter RainerBut 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]
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertBy 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.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliIf there's anything special about the film, it's that on this occasion, the emotional realism of the characters, especially Slade, is heartwrenchingly believable.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanIn 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.
- 70The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinThe good thing is that the principals and film makers make the absolute most of a conventional opportunity.
- 70Washington PostHal HinsonWashington PostHal HinsonThis 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.
- 60Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonIn 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.
- 50Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenThere's no denying that Pacino's performance is superb. The rest of the movie plays like a bunch of inconsequentially strung together sequences.
- 50Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumGiven 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.
- 37Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversThe movie, however, is a crock.