Kikujirô no natsu
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: May 26, 2000 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
44
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
9
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
A heart-tugger made totally irresistible because of the combination of Kitano's wry, sly sense of humor and his rigorous detachment. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
It is off-putting at first, then refreshing, then downright touching. In short, it works. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
An experimental feature that keeps shooting off its ideas like an endless row of skyrockets, Kikujiro ultimately conveys this grief with such sustained intensity that it can only leave a scorched path of devastation in its aftermath. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
This genial, lyrical little movie seems guaranteed to broaden Kitano's fan base in the United States. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverAndy Klein
In short, the film is emotional, perhaps even sentimental, but it strenuously avoids the sort of blatant manipulation that marks cheap sentimentality. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Much of this movie is very funny, it has some genuinely endearing moments. Read full review
63
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
The comic drama is refreshingly anti- sentimental but will break your heart anyway. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
If the movie finally doesn't work as well as it should, it may be because the material isn't a good fit for Kitano's hard-edged underlying style. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerDesmond Ryan
No one has done the journey quite like Takeshi Kitano in Kikujiro Read full review
63
Baltimore SunAnn Hornaday
Provides an arresting journey through the Japanese countryside and culture. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
When Kikijuro goes soft, the film falls apart, with him becoming a slapstick clown, mugging shamelessly to entertain Masao and the audience. Read full review
55
Mr. ShowbizMichael Atkinson
The film has a standard trajectory, but the details are unpredictable: Kitano fluctuates between goofy pratfalls. . . and elliptical pathos. Read full review
50
USA TodayMike Clark
It's tough to think of another child-adult pairing in a long screen tradition with so little emotional kick. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
Beautiful camerawork, some interesting scenes, but extraordinarily slow. Read full review
50
San Francisco ExaminerG.Allen Johnson
With a few quiet, moving scenes and a lovely ending, the film betrays an artist's touch, no matter how hard Kitano tries to make it look easy. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Kitano's first major comedy is loose and likable. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Appears to be a complete about-face for Kitano, and yet it's unmistakably his, both stylistically (the film is gorgeous to look at) and thematically. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Not only is Kikujiro sweet and funny, it is, no doubt, Kitano's experimental "art film." Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Ends up a flabby vehicle for the most banal of road-movie messages: The journey's the thing; the goal inevitably disappoints. Read full review
40
The New York TimesDana Stevens
Dreamy touches can't compensate for the film's main flaw, which is that the relationship between the two main characters never really develops. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Even allowing for differences in national styles, Kikujiro sprawls and stumbles. It's a road movie that turns into its own detour. Read full review
30
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
An overtly saccharine fairy tale of abandonment that is subverted by its own comic brutality. It's oddly affecting...which is to say, sad in a way that its maker might not have intended. Read full review
20
Film.comRobert Horton
It does... apply Kitano's black-comic style to a different setting, and individual scenes sparkle with unexpected jokes, twists, and occasional cruelties. Read full review
10
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The episodes are too convoluted to get into. Read full review
0
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The film isn't just bad; it's a barely coherent, inert mess -- a heart-tugger for voidoids. Read full review
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