Bubble
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: January 27, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
8
Negative:
3
Watch Now
Buy on

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Of the idiosyncratic ''little'' movies that Soderbergh has made to clear his head (Full Frontal, Schizopolis), this is the first that truly connects. Read full review
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Everything about the film -- its casting, its filming, its release -- is daring and innovative. Read full review
90
Dallas ObserverMelissa Levine
Bubble is a strong film with a gorgeously minimal script by Coleman Hough. Soderbergh has directed his actors to perfection, rendering them indistinguishable from their roles. And, though the story resorts to sensationalism for its conflict, the film is eloquent in its portrayal of silence, depression, repression, denial and the woes of the Midwestern white working class. Read full review
90
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Soderbergh and screenwriter Coleman Hough aren't interested in creating a coy whodunit so much as evoking the deeper, less romantic mysteries of people -- and it's riveting. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter Travers
A potent and provocative look at life unhinged. Bubble is said to be the first in a series of six low-budget films from Soderbergh. If they all rock the boat like this one, bring 'em on. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Soderbergh does overemphasize the "little-people" dreariness of it all. But there is much low-key humor here, too, albeit on the dark side. Read full review
80
TimeRichard Corliss
The film doesn't judge or prod its characters, just watches the long fuse of the plot dwindle, then explode. Read full review
80
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Easier to admire than love, Bubble is a fascinating exercise that seems calculated to repel most audiences, which probably suits Mr. Soderbergh just fine. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Starting off as a low-key psychological drama, this suddenly turns into a murder mystery that's resolved awkwardly and ambiguously, but the fascination of the characters and milieu remains. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
An odd little movie and a good one, worthy for what it is and potentially groundbreaking for how it's being made available. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
The film manages to be an intriguing, grimly entertaining, strangely haunting little slice of heartland noir very much in the experimental tradition of such previous Soderbergh oddities as "Schizopolis" and "Full Frontal." Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Bubble is a haunting film, made all the more intriguing by the use of ordinary people, not actors, in all the roles. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
It's reassuring to see Steven Soderbergh return to riveting down-and-dirty filmmaking with Bubble. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Simply too odd and unconventional to ever appeal to a broad audience, either at the multiplex or on home video. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
In movies this deliberately paced, the line between fascination and boredom is a fine one, easily crossed. Fortunately, Bubble stays on the right side of that line. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Despite its refreshingly straightforward style and compelling performers, the movie feels encased in an invisible, filmy membrane of its own. Soderbergh keeps his characters on one side of the wall and his audience on the other. As to which is living in the real world, I guess that's open to discussion. Read full review
70
The New YorkerDavid Denby
Strange and off-putting, and hard-nosed types in the film business will no doubt dismiss it as a nothing. But, even if Bubble hasn't brought down the Bastille, the movie is far from nothing. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
It's almost condescending, as though Soderbergh were challenging himself to make Middle America interesting. And yet the movie IS interesting, almost in spite of itself. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Ultimately, Bubble is less important as a film than as an experiment in simultaneous cross-platform film distribution. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
One of the more interesting low-budget experiments Steven Soderbergh has indulged in between flashy Hollywood entertainments. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Bubble is a stunt in search of a movie, and it almost finds one. Read full review
50
VarietyDeborah Young
Likeable if unexciting little tale. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
The experience is interesting, in a flattened way.
50
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Bubble is the moviemaking equivalent of the worst narrative journalism. Every bit of "human interest" is so painstakingly planted, so determined to be applauded for its observation and sensitivity, it ends up seeming as slick and bogus as the worst Hollywood blockbuster. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
Worth seeing, even if you're as ambivalent about it as I am. Its strength is in the way the drama creeps up on you. Read full review
40
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
The three stars are all perfectly naturalistic, but their roles are too bloodless and their patter too dry. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
The story is so flat and transparent in the telling, so empty of psychological mystery and depth, it skates dangerously close to condescension. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Likely to be remembered more for its method of manufacture and release than for any inherent qualities of its own. It will also become one of the many fascinating footnotes in the always provocative career of Steven Soderbergh. Read full review
40
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
I'd rate Bubble at no better than a C-plus for artistic achievement and a D-minus for audience appeal. In one sense, it accomplishes its goals efficiently by making you feel, in less than 80 minutes, as if you've gotten permanently trapped in the dead-end, trailer-park lives of its working-class characters. I've never been so grateful to get out of a theater, turn my cellphone back on and plug myself into a $4 Starbucks latte. Read full review
20
Film ThreatPhil Hall
Bubble is among his (Soderbergh) worst films. What in the world was he thinking with this? Read full review
20
The Hollywood ReporterRay Bennett
An embarrassment to all concerned, the film was written, directed and produced by Soderbergh for reasons that are not readily apparent. Read full review
10
SlateStephen Metcalf
So brutal a negation of the popcorn aesthetic is liable to be mistaken for artistic courage. A grindingly slow pace, a quarter-baked plot, a semidocumentary focus on the lives of the working poor: It's enough to make you whimper "Matt Damon" in defeat. Read full review
More From This Movie

63 Critic Reviews

6.2 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL