Memoirs of a Geisha
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: December 9, 2005
6.7
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 209 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
130
Mixed:
45
Negative:
34
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
5
mumboJun 11, 2006
ziyi zhang is a mediocre actress at best and is not respected at all in china, unlike gong li who is. Ziyi zhang is only famous for her looks (which arent that fantastic either)
1 of 2 users found this helpful
5
SamR.Jan 9, 2006
I said "OK, let's go see a 'chick flick'. I owe you one." My vote for mediocrity. Great photography --- lush; it's best feature. Alas, this is a boring movie. All style and little substance with garbled dialogue to boot. I said "OK, let's go see a 'chick flick'. I owe you one." My vote for mediocrity. Great photography --- lush; it's best feature. Alas, this is a boring movie. All style and little substance with garbled dialogue to boot. Next time we can see a movie that reviewers and this critic agree is worth seeing.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
richardb.Dec 9, 2005
Beautiful women, beautiful sets. Its like you're looking at Vogue Japan. But then the women open their mouths, and things get ugly. Its not that the English dialogue is poor, its that these performers, for the most part, speak English Beautiful women, beautiful sets. Its like you're looking at Vogue Japan. But then the women open their mouths, and things get ugly. Its not that the English dialogue is poor, its that these performers, for the most part, speak English in an almost cliche way. Couldnt they have hired Lucy Liu or Sandra Oh? There's something crazy about hiring "English as a Second Language" actors for an American movie. And then it turns out most of them are Chinese playing Japanese! What kind of faux authenticity was Rob Marshall shooting for? And honestly, the love story boils down to a pederast loves a baby hooker. Isnt that romantic.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
JeffM.Oct 1, 2006
I respected the book for its vivid depiction of that era in Japan's history, but was never truly entertained because of its emotional coldness. The film suffers from the same problem, only more so. Beautiful to look at, but never truly I respected the book for its vivid depiction of that era in Japan's history, but was never truly entertained because of its emotional coldness. The film suffers from the same problem, only more so. Beautiful to look at, but never truly involving. Ziyi Zhang truly shines though.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
markApr 7, 2006
Costumes were amazing. visually, the production value was there... the english was painful but zhang zi yi's looks didnt make it horrible. i wish they just casted japanese people and spoke in their native tongue with subs. the book was Costumes were amazing. visually, the production value was there... the english was painful but zhang zi yi's looks didnt make it horrible. i wish they just casted japanese people and spoke in their native tongue with subs. the book was much better.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
KCDec 13, 2005
It should be banned in Japan because of the use of Chinese actresses - the same 3 leads in all Asian films - portraying of all things profound in the Japanese culture, Geishas. No one who funded this project had the intelligence to think of It should be banned in Japan because of the use of Chinese actresses - the same 3 leads in all Asian films - portraying of all things profound in the Japanese culture, Geishas. No one who funded this project had the intelligence to think of how this looks to the Asian audience because it is white-washed from America.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
CliffDec 7, 2005
The costumes, cinematography, and musical score are top-notch. The story, however, meanders and there's never any real emotional pull to make us care about any of the characters. It seemed much longer than it actually is.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
MarcoJan 7, 2006
Not only does the film fail to stay true to the book, it is a disgrace to it. If you have read the book you'll see what I mean. Obviously I did not expect the film to be just like the book, but its just ridiculous. The film seems to Not only does the film fail to stay true to the book, it is a disgrace to it. If you have read the book you'll see what I mean. Obviously I did not expect the film to be just like the book, but its just ridiculous. The film seems to miss everything the book is about, it does not capture the life of Saguri or of a geisha for that matter. It is a pity that Rob Marshall had to destroy such a great story.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
TonyB.May 21, 2006
Stunningly designed, beautifully photographed, marvelously costumed, sharply edited, expertly scored, very well acted...and yet not nearly all it could have been.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
ChrissyFeb 11, 2006
Some flashy costuming and few exra dramatic moments are placed in this bore-fest for a bit of pizazz. It has little drive, and almost no delivery when it comes to entertainment. Not so much of bad, as simply boring.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
AmurabiM.Jul 14, 2006
Despite all its sumptuous production, its luxurious feeling and the exotic of its theme, "Memoirs of a Geisha" feels a little bit like a disappointment. This epic production feels condemned since its beginning: dark, melodramatic and Despite all its sumptuous production, its luxurious feeling and the exotic of its theme, "Memoirs of a Geisha" feels a little bit like a disappointment. This epic production feels condemned since its beginning: dark, melodramatic and superficial depth as the young Sayuri is kidnapped. But, all the movie feels like that. There are not depth, achievement, heart. It feels like soulless, like some standard epic from the 40s without charm. Rob Marshall fails miserably and give the same charisma to bring "Chicago" to break a hit. The failure is the occasionally boring and, overall, quiet adaptation. The story feels like a cheap melodrama, with the same pretensions of a latin soap opera, but with some kimonos. There are no passion, romance, love. This is just a compendium of great artistic values of production involved in a worthless drama. But the film worth because of that. This is an epic well filmed, well achieved with stunning triumphs in acting, cinematography, music (williams is noy corny!!!), costume and production design, etc. But despite all its beauty has very poor narrative structure than it turns this like a poor cliched melodramatic bombastic film.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
JoeJDec 22, 2005
Casting's the least of its problems. Charlton Heston played a Mexican in "Touch of Evil," and that picture's reputation has grown pretty well, don't you think? No, the problem here is STIFF BOREDOM. Beautiful to look at, but Casting's the least of its problems. Charlton Heston played a Mexican in "Touch of Evil," and that picture's reputation has grown pretty well, don't you think? No, the problem here is STIFF BOREDOM. Beautiful to look at, but then again, so is a vacation tour. Take away the eye candy and the characters, story, dialogue, it can be pretty awful and at best dull.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
RobertS.Dec 29, 2005
So much potential, yet ending up like a made-for-TV movie.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
kman5473Jul 30, 2018
Beautifully shot, wonderful art and set direction, great costumes, and fairly great performances by the actors--all of these elements, however, do not makeup for a half-finished script that needs some minor but effective changes. EverythingBeautifully shot, wonderful art and set direction, great costumes, and fairly great performances by the actors--all of these elements, however, do not makeup for a half-finished script that needs some minor but effective changes. Everything setup in the first two thirds of the film were interesting, but really did not add up to the rushed 3rd act of the film (everything during and after WWII). There's this gradual tension building and building throughout the first half of the film between Chiyo and Hatsumomo that is never really fully explored, explained, or resolved. It's a crying shame because Hatsumomo is setup to be a great antagonist, constantly presenting friction against the pure-hearted and trusting, though naive, Chiyo. The sexual tension between Chairman and Chiyo feels alright, but only because of the actors who worked so hard to build their on-screen chemistry. How it's actually conducted throughout the film feels a bit forced, unrealistic, and has an unsatisfying but positive resolution. Chairman is someone that Chiyo has projected all of her unfulfilled desires to be loved and happy onto. Yes, he is kind, but it absolutely feels more like a childhood crush that never got a reality check than a romance that is truly worth fighting and cheering for. Truly, he was only ever kind to Chiyo once in her life--and the movie says "Yes, that's enough for her to be completely in love with him." Give me a break. The rules of this film are far too fantastical to even be relatable. The tone seems insecure, in that the people who made this film could not decide if they wanted to make a fairy tale love story set to the backdrop of pre- and post-WWII Japan, or a hard-hitting historical fiction.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
TyranianApr 12, 2019
Beautifully made though not wholly compelling, is impressive in many ways but also a bit boring.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
buddhalouJan 9, 2019
Beautiful costumes, beautiful sets, beautiful cinematography; truly a gorgeous movie. That being said, it wasn't enough to carry me through two and half hours of a screenplay and characters worthy of a bad romance novel.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
ahmedaiman1999Apr 21, 2020
On the surface, everything looks splendid. And I don't just mean the stunning cinematography and the lush production design and beautiful costumes; but I also mean the interesting world the story takes place in. Unfortunately, once you digOn the surface, everything looks splendid. And I don't just mean the stunning cinematography and the lush production design and beautiful costumes; but I also mean the interesting world the story takes place in. Unfortunately, once you dig deeper, you'd find out that this glamorous surface is almost everything the movie's got. I mean, I haven't read Arthur Golden's book, but I feel like there's more to a "geisha" than what I saw here. Actually, I feel like there's a decent dystopian protagonist buried underneath the kimonos and the white make-up.

Keeping the shallowness of the story ـــthat left much to be desiredـــ and the monotony caused by the overlong runtime ـــthat gone completely wasted in telling a well-worn story instead of exploring the promising world and developing the charactersـــ aside, the storytelling is blatantly flawed. For it seems that the movie's concern isn't to make you emotionally invested in the characters as much as just to show off the technical prowess of the production, leaving all the turning points feel totally bland, scattered every once in a while. The first act that centers around Chiyo is enjoyable, though. I don't think the sub-plot of Chiyo and her sister moved me as much as I should, and I definitely didn't buy the awkward romance that developed from this act onwards; but I found Chiyo's "bringing-up" in the geisha house and her enmity with Hatsumomo ـــonly at this pointـــ moderately interesting. (4.5/10)… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
BlairFletcherJun 3, 2022
It had a huge potential to be an unforgettable masterpiece, but it turned out savorless.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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