The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: December 10, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
15
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
Murray is always pleasurable company, and his barely suppressed soulfulness might've supported this dawdling big-fish story if its insistent larkiness had abated and let a little reality in, as had "Rushmore." Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Somewhere buried beneath all this ballast something is being said, again, about flawed middle-aged men falling from grace and redeeming themselves. This time I'm damned if I know what that something is. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Noah Baumbach collaborated on the arch script, whose bittersweet weirdness leaves a residue even as the narrative disintegrates. Read full review
60
EmpireStaff (Not credited)
The garish, exotic, retro styling is Anderson at his visual best. In terms of character and sensibility, though, this is sadly Anderson at his worst. Read full review
50
VarietyRobert Koehler
The effect is often soporific. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
There's a lot to appreciate here, especially Mr. Murray's variations on the sad but hopeful soul he played in "Rushmore" (and in "Lost In Translation"). Yet meanings get lost in a clutter of cleverness.
50
USA TodayMike Clark
Nothing but attitude. Read full review
50
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Overburdened with knowingly charming touches. It's waterlogged with whimsy. Read full review
50
SlateDavid Edelstein
This one is a mess--a misshapen, mawkish tragicomedy bordering on self-parody. Its ambitions deserve respect, though. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
The more technically proficient Anderson gets as a filmmaker, the more emotionally barren his movies become, till at last The Life Aquatic drowns in a sea of self-indulgent touches that delight the filmmaker but distance the filmgoer who wants to love the director and his characters but just can't, not anymore. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A comedy that seems to have most everything going for it but the ability to make us laugh. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
The movie still feels strangely inert; it's an adventure in which nothing ever really seems to happen. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy Burr
The film's meta-fey title alone is an example of why some people adore Anderson and why he drives others absolutely crazy. Read full review
50
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
Will ultimately be remembered more for the trademark Anderson look than for any of its characters or any emotional impact. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
It's so cool all the life has drained away, leaving nothing behind but a faint whiff of attitude. Read full review
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