Drawing Restraint 9
IFC Films | Release Date: March 29, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
6
Negative:
2

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill White
While the significance of the imagery, including the slow disintegration of an immense piece of sculpted petroleum, is elusive, the strangeness of Barney's visual sense never fails to stimulate the senses. Read full review
91
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
You're either on the boat or off the boat with something like this. But for those willing to brave the open water, it's an awe-inspiring ride. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
A gorgeous feature that's both passing strange and undeniably beautiful. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Conveys an intense sculptural loveliness with something moving beneath it, maybe a sense of menace. And it's leavened, like once per hour, with a teeny dash of humor. This isn't nearly as immediately likable or showy as "Cremaster 3," but in a quiet way just as spectacular. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Songbird Bjork and artist hubby Matthew Barney team up in Drawing Restraint 9, and the spectacular result is exactly what should be expected from these one-of-a-kind creative oddballs. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
It's hard to shake the sense that there's less here than meets the eye, but what meets the eye burns with a rare intensity. Read full review
70
VarietyLeslie Felperin
A tapestry of sensuous, striking and sometimes disturbing imagery, Drawing Restraint 9 marks the latest cinematic visit to the wacky world of experimental artist Matthew Barney. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen Holden
The uninitiated viewer can admire it simply for the majesty of its visual poetry. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Ultimately, the scale of the production and the expectation built into the release don't entirely justify the effort. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
As a narrative film, it's confounding and oblique – but still gorgeous to behold. Read full review
63
PremiereAaron Hillis
Looks, feels, and tastes like a more accessible evolution of "Cremaster," so try to gauge your own tolerance for indulgent eccentricity (at 135 minutes, it could stand to lose 20). Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Slow but rarely tedious. Read full review
50
Village VoiceEd Halter
Those who fear that the mainstream of contemporary art has become little more than an extension of fashion will find no comfort in Drawing Restraint 9, Matthew Barney's latest big-budget ejaculation of ritual self-involvement and superficial foofery. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneAllison Benedikt
As visually stunning as it is, "DR9" is also more than two hours and contains, at best, 10 lines of dialogue, an ear-piercing Bjork score and no discernible plot. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyHolly Willis
It's difficult to see the characters as anyone but Barney and Björk, and the film's binary system, opposing hard and soft, East and West, male and female, etc., feels clumsy and simplistic. That said, there's creepy delight in seeing American consumption carried to its logical extreme. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
Visual artist and filmmaker Matthew Barney's follow-up to his acclaimed "Cremaster" film series continues this provocateur's penchant for outrageous imagery and numbing non-narratives. Read full review
50
Washington PostPhilip Kennicott
Sad to say, the new Matthew Barney opus, Drawing Restraint 9, made in collaboration with his main squeeze, Bjork, doesn't advance the Barney oeuvre an inch past where he left it with his massive, megalomaniacal opus known as the "Cremaster" series. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Björk appears to have been a good influence on Barney: The soundtrack, which she supervised and participates in, is well worth the time for fans of experimental music. As to what the whole thing means, you're on your own. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderFred Camper
The music Bjork wrote for the sound track is at least minimally accomplished, unlike Barney's staggeringly vacant direction. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleKenneth Baker
Anyone who puts production gloss above performance, plot, dialogue and editing may thrill to Drawing Restraint 9. Read full review
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