Once in the Life
Lions Gate Films | Release Date: October 27, 2000 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Fishburne excels in his triple-threat roles as actor, director and adapter of his own play, and his cast glows under his direction. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Showcases a trio of terrific performances. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyF. X. Feeney
May lack any transcendent point that would make it exceptional, but it is certainly a worthy start, and worth catching. Read full review
68
Mr. ShowbizKevin Maynard
Has a credibly gritty texture, thanks in large part to Fishburne's generosity with his fellow actors. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Strong, hard, dirty, funny, moving atmospheric and laced with scabrously musical street dialogue. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
Basically it's an acting exercise - a one-set rendition of that old stage and movie standby, the ex-convict struggling to go straight who's tempted to attempt one last score. Read full review
50
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
While the line-readings are often dead-on, Fishburne's movie suffers from the usual one-room claustrophobia and Mametian repetitions. Read full review
50
VarietyRobert Koehler
A film that ultimately feels stagebound and excessively talky, but which showcases an exceptional performance. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
As urban gangster drama, Once in the Life is way below mundane, and Fishburne's direction exceeds the rookie jitters. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie remains an actor's exercise--too much dialogue, too much time in the room, too much happening offstage, or in the past, or in memory, or in imagination. Read full review
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
If Laurence Fishburne could only have harnessed his fierce performance to drive his directoral debut, Once in the Life might have made something memorable of the done-to-death tale of small-time crooks on the run after a heist gone wrong. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
The good news is that Fishburne also stars, and has recruited a talented group of actors to flesh out the cast; the bad news is that no one seems to have been on hand to help out with the rest of film. Read full review
40
Film.comHenry Cabot Beck
Doesn't have a lot to offer that hasn't been done better -- and worse -- in hundreds of ghetto-sink shoot-em-ups. Read full review
40
The New York TimesDana Stevens
(Fishburne's) performance here, witty and profane, vulnerable and strutting, nearly holds the movie together. Read full review
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