Bossa Nova
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: April 28, 2000 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
8
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Not only is Bossa Nova a lovely romance, but one can say, as one can about few films, that it is restorative as a vacation.
88
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The story is slender, but the Brazilian settings are exquisite and lilting tunes by Antonio Carlos Jobim cast a spell over the entire enterprise. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe Leydon
Imagine a '30s screwball comedy played to a sensuous Brazilian beat and you're ready for Bossa Nova, a delightfully amusing romantic roundelay. Read full review
80
Film.comElizabeth Weitzman
Despite the frivolous feel, it's clear the director intends for Bossa Nova to be a love letter to his two passions: Brazil and his leading lady (who's also his real-life wife). Neither lets him down. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The air smells sweet and there's a thrumming beat in Bossa Nova. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
A cheerful and stylish romantic comedy that's easy on the eyes and ears, and makes few demands on the intellect. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
Isn't great. But I had fun watching.
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A breezy, elegant charmer of a movie.
75
Boston GlobeJay Carr
One of the most warmly beguiling romantic comedies the Southern Hemisphere has sent our way in ages. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
There must be a name for a picture so inconsequential, in which the music provides so much of the chemistry that you get the feeling Bossa Nova would be funereal without it. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
The coincidences that bring some characters together and keep others apart in this romantic comedy are plotted with musical grace. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
May not carry great emotional or intellectual weight, but, in a slim and fetching way, it's peachy.
63
Miami HeraldMarta Barber
Romantic comedy that softens your date into giving you that first kiss. It's not much more than that -- it's flawed and somewhat unfocused.
60
NewsweekDonna Freydkin
Sort of like a Jennifer Lopez video: pretty to look at, easy on the ears, but ultimately completely vacuous and lackluster. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The city looks breathtakingly lovely, the movie's Brazilian characters are charming and filled with joie de vivre, and using excerpts would take care of the fact that the pacing's a bit sluggish for such fluffy material. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Stack
Does have a certain classy charm because of its upscale setting. One could wait for the video. Read full review
50
San Francisco ExaminerG. Allen Johnson
Like sitting on the beach under a cozy, warm afternoon sun. The view is beautiful, but not much is happening and soon you drift peacefully to sleep.
50
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Tilts toward the slight and merely pleasant when it could have had much more emotional impact. Read full review
45
Mr. ShowbizRichard T. Jameson
Bossa Nova has no beat.
40
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
It's a feast of inconsequentiality, though, a love affair-lite that looks great but is ultimately less filling than a sunny summer Sunday's creampuff dream. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
This suffocatingly pleasant cross between "Sliding Doors" and "Six Degrees of Separation" is barely rescued by one beautiful scene. Read full review
30
Dallas ObserverGregory Weinkauf
Sits before us like an exquisite platter of wax fruit, colorful, flavorless, and, if you eat it, very likely to come back up. Read full review
20
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Unromantic, nonsexual and hellaciously dull. Read full review
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