Nine Lives 2005

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: As delicately and precisely constructed as a spider's web, Nine Lives is a quiet triumph. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: A disturbingly frank look at people and relationships in contemporary Los Angeles and a thrilling dramatic showcase for a brilliant cast. Read more

Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle: It feels like real life, in nine acts. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: I thought this was a great film. Read more

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Some parts are stronger than others, but as a fleshed-out artistic vision, Nine Lives works remarkably well. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: If only every women's movie had Nine Lives' fire, intelligence, and conviction, they wouldn't have such a shaky reputation in the first place. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Not all of Nine Lives clicks, but at its best it finds an inarticulate sisterly solace that makes you want to see what this director could do with one life per film. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: A sophisticated, elegant-looking film shot in distinctive, wide-ranging L.A. locales, but its real terrain is the human heart, explored with compassion and respect. Read more

Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle: The cast steps up, embracing the chance to exercise acting chops normally limited to live theater. Most do so resoundingly, but two stand out: Robin Wright Penn and Jason Isaacs. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Although each character holds the spotlight only briefly, she arrives as if with a life already in progress, and it's easy to believe that she'll keep busy even after the credits roll. Read more

David Germain, Associated Press: The stories are sketches, often without resolution, and while individual segments succeed admirably, taken together the portraits are a fitful match. Read more

Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger: For a film centered on connection and continuity, Nine Lives is curiously erratic. Read more

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: A fascinating series of vignettes. Read more

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: The cumulative effect of the rigorously controlled and purposive camera style adds up in the end to a collective portrait of womankind that is greater than the sum of its parts. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Nine Lives is an elegant film of quick, tour-de-force acting turns, a simple actor's gesture that tells you more than four pages of dialogue, a movie that demands concentration but that rewards the viewer willing to pay attention. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: What's the point? If I wanted to spend 12 minutes watching someone pushing a cart around a grocery store, I'd go to the local A&P, not sit in a movie theater. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The greatest short story writers, like William Trevor and Alice Munro, can awe us; their stories are short but not small. Here Rodrigo Garcia does the same thing. Read more

Scott Foundas, Variety: Though the episodic structure results in a whole not quite equal to some of its parts, pic is an unusually tender, perceptive character study buoyed by stellar performances from a who's who of talented (and many underused) actresses. Read more

Laura Sinagra, Village Voice: The short-story glimpses aim for Carver-esque pang, though the script could have used some Lorrie Moore bite. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: The moments that Garcia has chosen to observe are unforgettable, the women -- played by an ensemble of actresses at the top of their respective games -- indelible. Read more