This is an amazingly ambitious movie, not so much because of the time and space it covers (a lot), but because Potter trusts us to follow her heroine through one damn thing after another.
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
It feels both big and little, concentrating as it does on the small movements in people's lives and the huge tides of history.
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Melodramatic and strangely moving.
63
USA TodayAndy Seiler
USA TodayAndy Seiler
A curious but intriguing movie that leaves you bemused and more than a little confused.
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Ricci brings her trademark gravity to the wary Suzie, but Blanchett's role is the dazzler.
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It's a strange and strangely unaffecting little drama -- but played very flat, with no particular emotional impact sought or achieved.
40
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
The Man Who Cried is like a Yiddish generational tearjerker told from the perspective of the lost child rather than that of the bereaved parent.
Potter gets the period details right, but the film itself has long since flown off the rails, miring good intentions in rank soap opera.
30
Variety
Variety
Sally Potter, who leapt to critical attention with her 1992 adaptation of Virginia Woolf's "Orlando" -- makes a serious misstep with The Man Who Cried.
20
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The driving drama of such a desperate situation is lost in the movie's casting silliness.