La Dolce Vita
Astor Pictures Corporation | Release Date: April 19, 1961 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
95
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is made with boundless energy. Fellini stood here at the dividing point between the neorealism of his earlier films (like "La Strada") and the carnival visuals of his extravagant later ones ("Juliet of the Spirits," "Amarcord''). Read full review
100
The New York TimesBosley Crowther
A brilliantly graphic estimation of a whole swath of society in sad decay and, eventually, a withering commentary upon the tragedy of the overcivilized. (Review of Original Release) Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
A brilliantly conceived epic fable. Read full review
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
A profound film by a legendary director in the greatest period of his career. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
In this one masterpiece, Federico Fellini achieved the ideal balance -- between social observation and unconscious imagery, between artistic discipline and freedom, and between the neo-realism of 1950s Italian cinema and the orgiastic flights of his later work. Read full review
100
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Freshly viewed, the movie's melancholy seems to fit uncannily well in the moment we find ourselves now. In the film there are mentions of nuclear annihilation and worries that heedless lust and wanton partying could bring Rome a second fall. Read full review
100
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
One of the cinema's true classics. Read full review
100
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Films don't get more essential than this. Read full review
100
The GuardianPeter Bradshaw
It is a brilliant film, but there is nothing sweet about it. Read full review
90
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
The performances are uniformly excellent. Mastroianni is perfect in the key role of the basically good and honest boy who succumbs to the sweet life. Ekberg is a revelation as the visiting star, while Furneaux almost runs off with the picture as the reporter's instinctive, possessive mistress. (Review of original release) Read full review
80
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
In one movie, at least, the ethical baseline (heisted, you could argue, from "Sweet Smell of Success") gave Fellini's roaming, cluttered mise-en-scène a chilling gravity he could never genuinely locate again. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
The film was hugely successful and widely praised in its time, though it's really nothing more than the old C.B. De Mille formula of titillation and moralizing--Roman orgies and Christian martyrs--with only a fraction of De Mille's showmanship. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
After nearly three hours Fellini's relentlessly enigmatic, non-committal approach leaves you wishing for something more than poignant imagery and moody, self-obsessed characters. (Review of original release) Read full review
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