All About Lily Chou-Chou
Cowboy Pictures | Release Date: July 12, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
1
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Iwai's ambitious drama is strikingly shot, poignantly acted by a splendid young cast, and enriched by surprising use of Debussy classics on the soundtrack. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Gorgeously shot tableaux of random adolescent brutality are interrupted by flashes of computer garble and chat-room talk, backed by ''Lily's'' music, with its blend of Debussy-like arpeggios and Enya-like sighing. Read full review
90
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
It's a uniquely lonely film, and one of the year's most memorable. Read full review
90
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
A sprawling and adventurous tale of teen alienation, might just be the movie that pushes the Japanese new wave out of the film-geek ghetto. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Awash in strangeness, a poem that details what it's like to be 13 at the end of a millennium. Read full review
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Captures the pain and desperation of adolescent powerlessness and humiliation with powerful intimacy, strung out to almost 2 1/2 lazy hours of stories that wander through an ever-widening group of characters. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Continually jarring. Although the film's narrative thread may prove chronically elusive, Iwai's depiction of what life can be like for far too many teens comes across loud and clear. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
One of the most haunting, viciously honest coming-of-age films in recent memory. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Drifting through time and space without firmly situating the viewer, Iwai's elliptical style requires patience, but also a willingness to be carried along by its gorgeous, dreamy lyricism. Read full review
80
VarietyDerek Elley
For all its digressions and occasional flat moments, Iwai's movie is a remarkable, acutely involving one, working on an emotional level that can only really be expressed through music -- a strong component in all of Iwai's pics. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleJonathan Curiel
Requires some patience. Once you get into its rhythm -- including the long flashbacks and intermittent use of the screen as an Internet chat room -- the movie becomes a heady experience. Read full review
70
New Times (L.A.)David Ehrenstein
There's an eerie coolness to this film that's quite unsettling and un-Oshima-like. Rather lengthy, it requires patience. But adventurous moviegoers aren't likely to mind. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Much of All About Lily Chou-Chou is mesmerizing: some of its plaintiveness could make you weep. If only Mr. Iwai trusted the material enough. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Shunji Iwae's film began life as an interactive online "novel" and unfolds in a series of achronological vignettes whose cumulative effect is chilling. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Although way too long at 146 minutes and extremely confusing in structure, the story of a lonely, picked-on eighth-grader (Hayato Ichihara) who finds refuge in the ethereal music of a Bjork-like pop singer packs a solid punch. Read full review
63
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Kicks into high gear in its final 45 minutes, when the singer's fans descend on one of her concerts. It's worth the wait. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
So enigmatic, oblique and meandering that it's like coded religious texts that requires monks to decipher. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
The concept was interesting and charming in "Love Letters," up to a point, but here it quickly becomes repetitive, obvious, and dull. Read full review
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