Casa de los babys
IFC Films | Release Date: September 19, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
15
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
TimeRichard Schickel
This wisp of a movie turns out to be more thoughtfully affecting than many a more high-flying film. Read full review
60
Village VoiceDavid Ng
The screenplay's clutchy banter (interspersed with arias of teary confession) feels distinctly Oprah, but Sayles extracts unexpected life from his wooden setups. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
There is often not enough space for all these personalities to truly play out. They tend to become types rather than people, representatives of classes and points of view more than individual human beings. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Though ultimately something less than the sum of its parts, the film's performances are reason enough to see it. Read full review
60
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
It's a bit more than the film can handle without leaving loose ends dangling, and though it's never preachy, Sayles' political message-sending sometimes comes across too clearly for its own good. He makes valid points, though, particularly when he lets his storytelling do the work for him. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverGregory Weinkauf
Sayles is rarely a bore, but occasionally he frustrates more than he delights, enlightens or challenges. Such is the case with Casa de los Babys. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
As usual, Sayles's dialogue scenes are as shapely as blown glass, but none of the characters' predicaments has been adequately explored, much less resolved, when the final freeze-frame arrives. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
The women are terrific -- they know a thing or two about modulating pathos -- and watching them is a pleasure, even if the lines they're speaking sound like those of a world-worried, first-time playwright. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
It's too big an ensemble to provide enough back story for each player. But Sayles doesn't give his characters easily digestible labels, like "kook" or "pathetic loser." Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
A typically well-acted, if ultimately minor, effort by John Sayles, the socially conscious indie icon who's unafraid to take on unfashionable subjects. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
The film feels more like a thesis than vivid drama. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
Written and edited by Sayles, "Casa" is certainly the artist's baby, but he crams too much into a relatively brief running time. Worse, though it should be longer, we're not especially unhappy that it isn't, for being around these women gets tedious. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A creeping equanimity is taking over the work of John Sayles, a quality that in personal terms might be wise and coolheaded but in terms of drama is absolute death. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
What Sayles gives us is a jumble of ideas and stunning performances that never coalesce into a satisfying movie. Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
The cast…is first-rate, but each is given a single note to play. Read full review
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