The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: December 25, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
As unusual and idiosyncratic as its one-of-a-kind title. You'd expect no less from Terry Gilliam, and admirers of this singular filmmaker will be pleased to know that "Imaginarium" is one of his most original and accessible works. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
In a real sort of way, Gilliam IS Parnassus, carrying his tatterdemalion show forward from year to year and trying to get people to pay attention, and the mingled sense of bitterness and hope in his story makes this whole crazed fantasy into something far more real. Read full review
80
EmpireOlly Richards
There are thrilling flashes of Gilliam getting back to top form here. A scrappy movie with more ideas than it can control, but one born out of a passion and determination that are wholly infectious. Read full review
80
VarietyTodd McCarthy
With Ledger onscreen more than might have been expected, the film possesses strong curiosity value bolstered by generally lively action and excellent visual effects. Read full review
80
Time OutKeith Uhlich
The real drama in Parnassus comes from the troupe of sideshow performers, led by a terrifically morbid Christopher Plummer. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
If you're game, "Parnassus" is a richly rewarding experience. If not, it comes off like pretentious nonsense. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Despite a shaky framework, the magic works. It's a chance to see Ledger one last time in the act of doing what he loved. Take it. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
The Depp sequence is especially poignant, apparently rewritten with references to other celebrities who died before their time -- Rudolph Valentino, James Dean and Princess Di -- and who will remain "forever young" in our imaginations. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Though rambling and at times self-indulgent, its wit and pageantry, boosted by Heath Ledger's final performance, render it irresistible. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
The best moments in “Parnassus” are not otherwordly but worldly. It’s a movie about a dying magician and the death of magic. This is a subject that obviously means a lot to Gilliam, and he makes us feel it in our bones. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This is an Imaginarium indeed. The best approach is to sit there and let it happen to you; see it in the moment and not with long-term memory, which seems to be what Parnassus does. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
In short, “Imaginarium’’ is a Terry Gilliam movie and it’s a mess, which over the years have come to mean much the same thing. It’s one of his better messes, though, or at least this critic was won over by its ramshackle whimsies. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
If you loved his (Gilliam) older work -- and if you can stand the twinge of pain that beholding the lamented Ledger will surely evoke -- it’s worth a visit. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Shot through with a bold, extravagant generosity of spirit, this journey behind the literal and figurative looking glass marks a gratifying return to form for Gilliam. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Vintage Terry Gilliam, a pour not to all tastes but one certain to please lovers of "Time Bandits" and "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen." Read full review
70
Village VoiceElla Taylor
This is potentially wonderful, if not exactly new stuff, but Gilliam and McKeown's willful refusal of coherent narrative and determination to pack every idea about art they ever had into one scenario, make this fiendishly gorgeous movie more exhausting than exhilarating to watch. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
It’s a full three-ring affair, complete with puffs of smoke, glitter and grunge, some hocus-pocus, mumbo jumbo and even a dwarf. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
As is so often the case since his "Monty Python" days, Gilliam is best at visual games and weakest at storytelling. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Christopher Plummer is delightful as this movie’s master magician and impresario of the rickety Imaginarium. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
A movie assembled from diverse pieces that don't quite match. It's the cinematic equivalent of a patchwork quilt. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell do yeoman work on behalf of their late friend and, as usual, Gilliam's film is a feast for the eyes. But all the king's men can't corral the horses running roughshod over basics like plot and character. Read full review
63
Orlando SentinelRoger Moore
It’s filmic fool’s gold, as every scene that doesn’t sparkle is just dirt -- dank, gritty visuals, murky plotting and very bad line-readings from Troyer (Mini-Me from the Austin Powers movies). Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterRay Bennett
The film is neither intelligent enough nor silly or grotesque enough to become a lasting favorite. Read full review
50
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
He can follow any train of thought, so he does, and it’s no surprise when the trains run out of steam. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus takes us deep into the imagination of Terry Gilliam, which once was a splendid place to visit. And might prove so again. But not here, because this film is less a coherent exercise of imagination than a haphazard lecture on its importance, a lecture that eventually dwindles into self-indulgence. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The behind-the-scenes tragedy gives Gilliam an easy excuse for the dull chaos that engulfs the story, but he might have generated it all on his own. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Feels like a cobbled collection of ideas and conceits rather than a stand-alone story. Read full review
50
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike Scott
Parnassus is a cold film that delights in dancing along that fine line separating "fantastical" and "nonsensical." Then, when a movie is supposed to hit things home -- in that all-important third act -- it lands with a thud on the wrong side. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
"Parnassus," while not unwatchable, is also an elephantine mess. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
The film ends up landing in a confused middle category. It's neither a coherent, discrete work nor a zany tribute to the late actor. Read full review
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