Biutiful
Liddell Entertainment | Release Date: December 29, 2010
7.2
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 123 Ratings
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89
Mixed:
21
Negative:
13
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7
nutterjrFeb 24, 2011
Tackling immigration and the associated social implications this film is great because the lead actor Bardem is one of the best actors alive and Inarritu keeps making really biutiful movies...
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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9
mperezsimonsApr 17, 2011
Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu is known for his signature multi-protagonist plots introduced in his death trilogy, which included "Amores Perros," "21 Grams," and "Babel." InMexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu is known for his signature multi-protagonist plots introduced in his death trilogy, which included "Amores Perros," "21 Grams," and "Babel." In "Biutiful," however, he zooms in on one character, Uxbal, a single father from Barcelona, facing terminal cancer. Uxbal is a fascinating character with many good intentions that don't always translate into good deeds. While he truly cares for people (his brother even calls him the Dalai Lama), he actually makes a living from an operation where illegal Senegalese immigrants sell on the streets the counterfeited bags and pirated CDs produced in a sweatshop by a group of frightened Chinese who sleep on the floor of a locked basement.

So yes, Uxbal is a complicated hero, not perfect by any means, but because of Bardem's earnest performance you feel Uxbal's pain, and he also wins you over with the love he so tenderly expresses for his soon-to-be fatherless children, and for the father he never met. And that's what the movie is truly about: parenthood, how people, no matter their nationality, are always concerned with giving their kids a better life. You'll find that most of the characters (from Uxbal, to the police officer, to the sweatshop owner, to the main Senegalese immigrant) are trying to do what's best for their kids. But are their choices moral or even legal? Morality is a big theme here, and the movie will leave you questioning even your own.

To appreciate this film you need to understand Iñárritu's style--bold and bleak and confrontational. He wants to shock you, make you angry, remove you from your comfortable place so you can experience some of the realities millions of people face everyday. Allow him to. "Biutiful" is worth watching because of the many layers of the story, the stellar performances by Javier Bardem and Maricel Å Expand
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10
DrTathataJul 16, 2011
It was St Paul who claimed that the good that he would was not what he did, but the evil that he wouldn't. In a way, that true statement of the potential for error in the best of our intentions is the strange attractor that drives thisIt was St Paul who claimed that the good that he would was not what he did, but the evil that he wouldn't. In a way, that true statement of the potential for error in the best of our intentions is the strange attractor that drives this beautiful, exquisitely painful story. Put yourself in the man Uxbal's shoes and ask yourself--what would it feel like to be intricately enmeshed such a complex web, and yet have so few moves available with which to solve your problem? "The Universe will take care of your children", he is told, and although it may be true, it is cold comfort for any dying parent whose last thoughts cluster around the question, what will become of them without my love and care? With all of his dying preoccupations rolled into one overwhelming question, the one person in his life capable of attending to his children when he is gone stands gazing at the flight departure list, her baby on her back, and every penny he owned in her bag-- what will she do, and why does she do it? What is it that drives the choice that she makes? Is it love? Is it duty? What does she owe this man? And why would she choose to deny everything she had longed for? Difficult questions, often without answers, abound. This is a thought provoking film, true and unflinchingly real in it's study of the characters involved. For the world as we find it is not black and white but infinite shades of light and dark, and it is rare that anyone is wholly good or wholly bad, or even wholly unsympathetic. And don't think you can always predict what someone will do, before they are put to the test. Depending on the perspective of the others in our lives, we are each of us both heros and villains in one way or another. In the final analysis, nobody gets out alive. You can't take it with you. All roads end in the grave. Life is a lesson about loss, and all striving is futile. The lucky ones who fight against the dying of the light think of those they love as their cares drop one by one from their cold dead fingers.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
Mrtruegrit2288Feb 12, 2012
The film is painful there's no doubt about about that but Inarritu's genius is it's ability to captivate, to grab on and not let go and to make you feel every moment of pain desperation. The cast is flawless, and Bardem is without a doubt,The film is painful there's no doubt about about that but Inarritu's genius is it's ability to captivate, to grab on and not let go and to make you feel every moment of pain desperation. The cast is flawless, and Bardem is without a doubt, the single greatest actor that Spain has produced .… Expand
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9
lizusa4444Dec 30, 2010
I loved this film. Javier Bardem's Uxbal is captivating. We follow him through what is the depths of misery for a father that has to leave his children behind and isn't prepared. The film is chock full of characters from different culturesI loved this film. Javier Bardem's Uxbal is captivating. We follow him through what is the depths of misery for a father that has to leave his children behind and isn't prepared. The film is chock full of characters from different cultures trying to survive under the radar in Barcelona. Uxbal is the go-between for the city's fringe population while also serving as a go-between for families and their recently departed. He gently pushes souls toward the afterlife and helps those left behind to find closure (as a sideline, no less). I'm going to have to sit and think about all of the different symbolism in this film. There is a lot of it. It is a heavy, beautiful film. Perfect for 2 1/2 of getting out of yourself.… Expand
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7
Christopher_G2May 12, 2012
Inarritu, in the last two films of his that I have seen, is clearly fascinated by two things: intercontinental relationships, and tragedy; though perhaps a bit too much so. Both films are in my opinion flawed pieces of work saved mainlyInarritu, in the last two films of his that I have seen, is clearly fascinated by two things: intercontinental relationships, and tragedy; though perhaps a bit too much so. Both films are in my opinion flawed pieces of work saved mainly because of their haunting images and strong performances. I actually prefer the more recent Biutiful over the Oscar nominated Babel because it seems to have a stronger center, or should I say itâ… Expand
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9
FUNTALKMar 27, 2011
The whole film starts with a night conversation of two in a room then at an unknown point of a mystical place where a dead owl lies on the ground of snow before the main title appears ; Biutiful has intend to provide the audiences the empathyThe whole film starts with a night conversation of two in a room then at an unknown point of a mystical place where a dead owl lies on the ground of snow before the main title appears ; Biutiful has intend to provide the audiences the empathy into of what dreadful feeling one man in the underworld of Madrid could have sensed in his cracked wife,daughter and son with the accompanies of many - no matter if they're "dead" or" alive" - after all in his own weakening mind;For that strong arrangement of wry thing on lens,a successful one.… Expand
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9
DKayFeb 8, 2011
Javier Bardem knocks Uxbal's dying father/saint out of the park. His best role and work this side of NoCountryForOldMen. He's deserving of any acting award available, anytime. I left the theater shaken, stirred and overwhelmed; it helped thatJavier Bardem knocks Uxbal's dying father/saint out of the park. His best role and work this side of NoCountryForOldMen. He's deserving of any acting award available, anytime. I left the theater shaken, stirred and overwhelmed; it helped that I'm a father (luckily I'm not dying though). Bardem's Uxbel is a dream role for every actor and with Alejandro González Iñárritu at the helm, a dreaem situation. Bardem has a conflicted,passionate director willing to let him "act" (work), and more importantly, willing to the let the actor take time to work. Half these critic idiots can't handle more than 30 seconds of silence (neither can 99% of America) but like Malick, AGI could care less about ADD audiences. Thank God he doesn't. Poetic, challenging and epically emotional, Biutiful is nothing less than its title: complicatedly beauitful.… Expand
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10
delusionMar 3, 2011
This movie is absolutely great! It is touching and it is view into a real situation of immigrants, who struggle to survive in a horrific conditions. But it is not only that. There is also a story of domestic problems many people can identifyThis movie is absolutely great! It is touching and it is view into a real situation of immigrants, who struggle to survive in a horrific conditions. But it is not only that. There is also a story of domestic problems many people can identify with it. And there is a man caught in this situation, who wants to make things better for everyone, but unfortunately has his own war to fight - cancer. Movie makes you think. In addition to that, the cast is amazing, especially Javier Bardem who is a wonderful actor.… Expand
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10
BelmsherSep 12, 2011
Bardem's performance is ABSOLUTELY haunting and that is more than enough to rate this 10. Another highlight: it shows a side of Barcelona most of the people who visit the city never thought of.
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7
lasttimeisawJan 5, 2014
I have been an advocate of Iñárritu’s works continuously, AMORES PERROS (2000, 8/10), 21 GRAMS (2003, 9/10) and BABEL (2006, 8/10), but his fourth feature length BIUTIFUL has been evading my watchlist hitherto, maybe it is its dour outlookI have been an advocate of Iñárritu’s works continuously, AMORES PERROS (2000, 8/10), 21 GRAMS (2003, 9/10) and BABEL (2006, 8/10), but his fourth feature length BIUTIFUL has been evading my watchlist hitherto, maybe it is its dour outlook intimidates me, although Bardem grabbed a precious BEST LEADING ACTOR nomination in a foreign language picture.

But today, I’m in an indomitable mood (thanks to my sanguine nature) so I dare to take the challenge. BIUTIFUL, the intentional spelling error rings a bell of THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (2006, 7/10), under the same default of a divorced father struggles to maintain the subsistence with his kid(s), the latter is a bullish and aspiring fairytale while the former treads the muddy water in the underground Barcelona, with an impending terminal cancer lurks on.

Uxbal (Bardem) lives a double life, he is a medium who earns money from eliciting the last words from the deceased, also he is involved in a furtive illegal immigrant labor business with a Chinese boss Hai (Chen). With two children to foster, as a single father, when he realizes his days are numbered, it is a clarion call to urge him to be prepared and don’t leave anything unfinished, which is also why the cancer sub-genre has its unique allure since it sets a date, motivates or even coerces the protagonists to take a look at theirs lives from a different angle, to slow down the pace and engage in an introspection like in TIME TO LEAVE (2005, 7/10) or to fulfill the bucket list like in MY LIFE WITHOUT ME (2003, 8/10), but here, Uxbal faces a much grimmer reality, everything will collapse, sometimes even in the most horrid way (an accidental carbon monoxide poisoning results in the casualties of two dozens Chinese immigrants all because he bought the cheapest heaters), his tentative attempt to leave two kids to his bipolar ex-wife Marambra (Álvarez) leads up to a blind alley and his brother Tito (Fernández) is a giant sleaze ball. With no other option, he leaves all his savings to an African immigrant Ige (Daff), who lives with them with her own infant boy, in dire hope he wishes she can take care of his offspring, but will she? Life cannot be more harder, so death could be his deliverance.

Bardem is so emotive as the jaded father, with his perpetual greasy hair, utterly riveting in meting out the plight around him, particularly scenes with his two younglings, a dramatic turn from the deadpan and ruthless killer in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007, 9/10); theatrical actress Álvarez stuns in her film debut, a far more afflicted persona beyond redemption. Being a Chinese, it does pique my curiosity to see how a foreign director does with the Chinese gay characters in their films, but as a much diluted subplot here, shamefully it has been passed over with a vilifying perspective.

Iñárritu spins a Stygian recount of a very personal story, its often wobbly, frantic camera movements linger persistently in the seedy and cramped environs, attended by the otherworldly score from Gustavo Santaolalla, sometimes resorts to fright flick with the spectra materialize out of nowhere. Apparently my least favored film so far, its brooding nature and the one-sided linear narrative does deter the general audiences from emerging oneself to a sadcore once more.… Expand
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10
roorSep 2, 2014
Exquisite! Wonderful piece of art which will leave you absolutely breathless. It has been a long time I have't watched such a beautiful and at the same time painful movie. As the story continued I was more and more captivated by the love,Exquisite! Wonderful piece of art which will leave you absolutely breathless. It has been a long time I have't watched such a beautiful and at the same time painful movie. As the story continued I was more and more captivated by the love, pain and truth I was witnessing. I wanted this movie to never end.… Expand
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9
MattBrady99Jul 5, 2017
"Look in my eyes. Look at my face. Remember me, please. Don't forget me, Ana. Don't forget me, my love, please."

I really don't get how everyone says this and "Babel" are Iñárritu worst movies. I don't get it. This movie was so beautiful in"Look in my eyes. Look at my face. Remember me, please. Don't forget me, Ana. Don't forget me, my love, please."

I really don't get how everyone says this and "Babel" are Iñárritu worst movies. I don't get it. This movie was so beautiful in every sense of the word. Sad, but real.

Can I just say how brilliant of an actor Javier Bardem is. It's nothing new, but it begs repeating, and here it absolutely dose. Without spoiling anything, but the scene between him and his daughter was one of the most moving and human things I've ever seen. It was hard to watch for the right reasons. Facial expressions alone with barley any dialogue spoken, you as an audience member feel and understand him without seeing the whole picture.

"Biutiful" is another fantastic movie from my favorite living director Alejandro González Iñárritu. Having this spiritual atmosphere to it, which is a trademark in all of he's movies; the beginning and the end are example of such. The score from Gustavo Santaolalla was great and really added to the surreal experience I've had with this movie. The mixture of beautiful cinematography, score, and the performances, made this even more melancholic.… Expand
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8
LegitSaltMar 2, 2020
Biutiful is perhaps the worst of Iñárritu’s films but is still a great movie. Javier Bardem as the lead role makes the movie. The movie is the story of Uxbal (Bardem), a man who can sense the dead, and his struggles with depression (his andBiutiful is perhaps the worst of Iñárritu’s films but is still a great movie. Javier Bardem as the lead role makes the movie. The movie is the story of Uxbal (Bardem), a man who can sense the dead, and his struggles with depression (his and others), fathering, and surprisingly enough commerce. In the world of the film, Uxbal is an arbiter between worlds, both between the living and the dead and between various cultural worlds. The conflicts that Uxbal faces truly test his character and the bonds he wishes to persist, with his family and peers. The film’s grim atmosphere also contributes to Uxbal’s character, within a world of filth and dirt, he is for many, a saviour. Besides Bardem, the acting is quite decent, most notably the sincere child acting. Biutiful presents characters with hard decisions and even harder environments.… Expand
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7
DawdlingPoetNov 24, 2021
I thought this film would be nice for a special day/ocassion - I had a feeling it would appeal to me quite a lot. Its certainly very grim and I suppose that was to be expected but if anything it was even more sort of despairing and bleak thanI thought this film would be nice for a special day/ocassion - I had a feeling it would appeal to me quite a lot. Its certainly very grim and I suppose that was to be expected but if anything it was even more sort of despairing and bleak than I'd expected - its less philosophical (about death) and more an almost character based diary (although the precise days aren't specified to the viewer but otherwise the analogy works) of the sad circumstances he's faced with and has to adapt to, with mistakes unfolding along the way.

It covers themes including illness, forgiveness and exploitation.

It has to be said that Javier Bardem does give an outstanding performance as the main character, Uxbal. His stoicism and determinism is certainly respectable. I should perhaps also point out that this film does include some quite shaky/jerky camerawork, which may frustrate some people - I think its to give it that sort of regular, street shot, urban feel to it - its not at all a big glitzy Hollywood film, of course. There is a poignancy to it, even though it is really quite subtle I suppose.

I would recommend this film, as long as you know its quite a bleak watch.… Expand
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8
EliT04Oct 31, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Obviamente no es la mejor película de Alejandro G. Iñárritu pero logra capturar su esencia. Lo único que no cuadra y que evita que le ponga mayor calificación que 8, es el hecho de que Uxbal puede hablar con los muertos, da la sensación de que no lograron aterrizar esa idea y que no entra en el contexto de la historia. Si le queitas las escenas de Uxbal hablando y viendo a los muertos, te queda exactamente la misma película… Expand
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