Sweet November 2001

Ebert & Roeper: Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: A guilty pleasure for more than a few ticket buyers who rarely get a chance to indulge their weakness for this sort of story. Read more

Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News: Every once in a while, a movie comes along that reminds you how wonderful life can be. Unfortunately, Sweet November does this by reminding you how terrible a movie can be. Read more

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star: To quote Reeves when Theron tries to bolt suddenly from his car: 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA!' Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: Defies all comprehension. Read more

David Edelstein, Slate: I kept waiting for [Reeves] to point out that, given the state of San Francisco real estate these days, it's hard to reconcile a life of endless surf-romping with a life of having a roof over one's head. Read more

Steve Murray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A passable, soggy valentine. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: This is a film that means to be seductive but merely progresses from the contrived to the manipulative. Read more

Paul Clinton (CNN.com), CNN.com: In his 1922 poem 'The Waste Land,' T.S. Eliot said 'April is the cruelest month.' He never saw Sweet November. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: A man who doesn't ask why the woman whose bed he shares disappears for long locked door sessions in the bathroom is a man in need of his own subscription to O, the Oprah Magazine. Read more

Globe and Mail: Read more

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: If the women's movement meant anything, it should mean no more movies like this one. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: Dumb enough to make The Wedding Planner seem like an Ingmar Bergman film. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: With a convoluted, contrived plot that effectively emasculates and lobotomizes the lead characters, Sweet November fails to connect on an emotional level. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: I don't know who I disliked more intensely -- Nelson, the abrupt, insulting ad man played by Keanu Reeves, or Sara, Charlize Theron's narcissistic martyr. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: Sweet November does neither of its leads any favors. But they fill their roles admirably, and then some. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Sweet November is neither a masterpiece nor a remake of one, but its wistfulness is infectious, and its melancholy mood lingers for days. Read more

Geoff Andrew, Time Out: Read more

Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today: It nearly qualifies as a guilty pleasure. But blame Keanu Reeves for ruining its chances for so- bad- it's- good status. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: The basic validity of the story's emotional core beneath all the contrivance starts carrying the day in the latter stretches. Read more

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: Extra-thick vanilla schmalted with just the right amount of raw sugar to summon the awwwws of high school girls. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Should have been called Cloying November. Read more

Stephen Hunter, Washington Post: Who on earth could resist Charlize Theron? Well, if she's imitating Sandy Dennis, it's not all that hard. Read more