Levity
Studio Canal | Release Date: April 4, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
13
Negative:
8
Watch Now
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
Those who can forgive the director's pretensions will discover some fine filmmaking. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Thornton has made so many bad movies and become so notorious as a talk-show eccentric that it's easy to forget what a good film actor he can be. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Solomon keeps the drama generally clear and interesting, though some touches make the film-noir plot seem too pretentious. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
A thoughtful, almost poetic, piece that puts forth the argument that redemption is not easily achieved. Read full review
70
Film ThreatEric Campos
The performances from the film's three stars are all top-notch. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A film of almost paralyzing gravity and large ambitions that, almost inevitably, it can't quite meet. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
It's an intriguing movie, and Thornton's performance is both fascinating and maddening. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
A meditation on guilt, remorse and redemption -- is unrelentingly heavy. Read full review
60
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Solomon handles their crises of conscience with a studied compassion that hangs over scenes like a lead weight, though the actors (particularly Dunst) do their best to bring more range to his gray palette. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverAndy Klein
Nobody can convey more while doing nothing than Thornton. And while his minimalist style is appropriate for the ironically named Levity, what is conveyed never quite generates the emotional charge of "Monster's Ball." Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
About as well-meaning as a movie can get, but that's never enough to ensure it comes alive on the screen, which is sadly the case here. Read full review
60
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Despite an effectively low-key performance by Billy Bob Thornton in the leading role, pic is no more spiritually insightful or illuminating than Sunday School instructional story, and a lot less dramatically coherent. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
A redemption allegory so poker-faced you might forget that redemption is supposed to be a good thing. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Where's the levity, you ask? There is none, or rather, there is none that Manuel can perceive. Read full review
50
Village VoiceEdward Crouse
First-time director Ed Solomon, a comedy writer (MIB, both Bill and Ted movies), clots up Levity with symbols -- empty chairs, reflections, winter slush -- and achy, tastefully drawn characters. Read full review
50
The New York TimesDana Stevens
The actors, too, bring more realism -- more gravity, if you will -- to the film than its wobbly premise deserves. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Saddest, most hang-dog, most depressing movie possible. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Freeman and Hunter are both overqualified for material this ponderous, but she plays along, while he appears to have made a minimal emotional investment in the oncoming avalanche of coincidences and cliches. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
It's hard not to feel sorry for the high-profile cast, obviously working for brownie points in heaven -- they're so good, yet nothing they do can make the movie fly. Read full review
40
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Haven't we seen this already? Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
For all its seriousness, though, Levity struck me as pretentious and intractably lifeless.
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
An earnest but hopeless attempt to tell a parable about a man's search for redemption. By the end of his journey, we don't care if he finds redemption, if only he finds wakefulness. Read full review
38
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
The actors are their usual reliable selves; you can't really blame them for the unlikely mess Levity becomes. Read full review
38
New York PostMegan Lehmann
First-time director Ed Solomon has corralled a stellar cast for his indie drama Levity -- and then put them through paces as plodding as a draft horse's. Read full review
30
Washington PostRita Kempley
So solemnly paced and deliberately performed that it seems to solidify before your very eyes. Read full review
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The movie wants to trade on atmosphere more than plot, but even the atmosphere rings false. Read full review
25
Rolling StonePeter Travers
A dreary film that's damn near torture to sit through. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Suffocates under its own good intentions and inexorable sense of doom. Read full review
16
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
Ponderous, pretentious and boring, Levity becomes ironic on top of itself. You won't pity these people. You'll start laughing at them. Like a clown. Read full review
More From This Movie

45 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