The Last Circus
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: August 19, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
6
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisAug 18, 2011
Brilliant, bizarre, dazzling and utterly demented, The Last Circus views Franco-era Spain through the crazed eyes of two clowns doing battle for the love of one magnificent woman. Read full review
90
SalonAndrew O'HehirAug 18, 2011
It's also possible, I suppose, that a movie as deranged and grotesque and spectacular as Álex de la Iglesia's near-masterpiece The Last Circus, an overcooked allegory that's been dialed to 11 in all directions, simply doesn't appeal to you. But if you like your baroque sex and violence with a side dish of heavy-duty symbolism, and if the idea of an unholy collaboration between, say, Guillermo del Toro, Federico Fellini and William Castle appeals to you, then put The Last Circus on your must-see list right now. Read full review
90
Village VoiceAaron HillisAug 16, 2011
Baroquely sinister and grotesquely funny, the latest overstimulated bout of dark comic mayhem from writer-director Álex de la Iglesia (Common Wealth, The Day of the Beast) is a stunning funhouse-mirror allegory of Franco-era Spain that makes "Pan's Labyrinth" look like "Sesame Street." Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovSep 15, 2011
It's not a pretty picture, but it is a hellaciously gorgeous and original film. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezSep 22, 2011
Viewers with a strong stomach and an appreciation for surreal humor that borders on horror - the latest film from Spanish wildman Alex de la Iglesia (Perdita Durango, The Day of the Beast) is a must-see proposition. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. MusettoAug 19, 2011
The Last Circus features garish costumes, grotesque ultraviolence and plenty of other assorted weirdness. Although not everybody's glass of sangria, it has the making of a cult hit. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineNick SchagerAug 8, 2011
Subscribes to the belief that moderation is a four-letter word, flying about with an abandon that begets exhilaration as well as exhausting messiness. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierAug 19, 2011
Before going off in conventional directions, "Circus" is terrifically weird, funny and garish. Bozo and Clarabelle it ain't. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith UhlichAug 16, 2011
Inventive yet exhausting tale of two circus clowns. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianShawn LevySep 8, 2011
Begins with an eye on satire but dissolves quickly into grotesquerie -- and if the first tack was a bit narrow, the second is far too scattershot. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenSep 29, 2011
The Last Circus is a bizarre, surreal, grotesque, fascinating, demanding, disappointing and ultimately exhausting political allegory that plays like a waking nightmare. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungAug 8, 2011
Areces is inventive and scary in main role, though it's impossible to sympathize with his madness. Other performances are gaudy but perfunctory. Read full review
40
VarietyJay WeissbergAug 8, 2011
Loud, tedious and unattractive in every sense, this barrage of blood set during the Franco regime combines the helmer's customary cartoonishness with horror and ups it a thousand notches. Read full review
25
ObserverUna LaMarcheAug 24, 2011
By the time the end finally comes, there's no relief. You're left with the vague recollection of an interesting movie you were watching before you got kidnapped and subjected to over an hour of torture porn starring a fat, sadistic clown. Read full review
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