Lila Says
Samuel Goldwyn Films | Release Date: June 24, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
7
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Lila, played by Vahina Giocante, who resembles a sexed-up young Emma Thompson, is a teasing, 16-year-old blond baby doll with a gleam of perception beyond her years. Read full review
80
Film ThreatEric Campos
This thoroughly engaging, if tragic, love story unfolds like a psychological striptease. The biggest challenge here is not to blush. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Both lead actors are wonderful, and director Ziad Doueiri (West Beirut) artfully addresses the cultural and even spiritual dimensions of the story without losing sight of the lovers' tenderness and confusion. Read full review
80
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Startlingly erotic and surprisingly moving. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Superbly acted, especially by Giocante as the teasing 16-year-old instigator. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle Smith
Lebanon-born director Ziad Doueiri, a camera operator on Quentin Tarantino's films, has a dreamy, fluid style he decorates with light electronic sounds -- from bands like Air -- that give this film more than a touch of youthful poetry. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleJonathan Curiel
Doueiri sprinkles Lila Says with moments of humor and violence -- a mix that keeps the film fresh and unpredictable. Read full review
70
The New York TimesDana Stevens
Ms. Giocante's intoxicating mixture of gamine innocence and womanly knowingness is almost too much for the movie - Lila is surely too much for Chimo - but her charisma, and Mr. Doueiri's insouciant, heart-on-the-sleeve style give it a mood that is at once breathlessly romantic and cannily down to earth. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Unsurprisingly, the camerawork in Lila Says is spectacular. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Vahina Giocante oozes a killer blend of purring, lascivious innocence and little-girl-lost vulnerability as Lila. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Raw, earthy yet tender and perceptive, Lila Says marks a strong directorial debut for Doueiri, who was Quentin Tarantino's camera operator on "Reservoir Dogs," "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown." Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
This coming-of-age tale is ultimately about self, not sex. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
It doesn't take an awareness of the ethnic and cultural differences between the miniskirted siren and the shy Arab youth to see that she might be more than he can handle. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneJessica Reaves
Far less interesting than its premise, primarily because we never know what anyone is really thinking. Read full review
60
VarietyDerek Elley
Easy on the eye but light on originality. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The story's message is less than profound, but it's vividly delivered. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Had director Ziad Doueiri focused on the resentful Arab youths who clatter provocatively around the edges of his Marseilles-set drama, he might have discovered something interesting. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterRichard James Havis
Results in a film that's more exploitative than sympathetic. Compared to the works of fellow Francophone directors Catherine Briellat and Clare Denis, Doueiri's depiction of female sexuality in Lila Says is both wooden and pat. Read full review
50
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The picture's effect: the sexual element is trenchant, while the status of Muslim youth registers strongly. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
One long tease, not just because it keeps promising sex it doesn't deliver. It teases at deeper themes and cultural commentary. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
The result, although more sexually provocative, is not nearly as gratifying as was his (Ziad Doueiri) breakthrough film. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Lila is all come-ons without any charm. Read full review
20
Village VoiceMelissa Anderson
A misguided tale of sentimental education. Read full review
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