Woman on Top
Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: September 22, 2000 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
41
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
13
Negative:
9
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
As a goofy little fantasy, however, this film has loads of charm. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldCurtis Morgan
A charming confection spun from pure whimsy. Read full review
75
USA TodayAndy Seiler
All coy and fey -- and painless to digest. Read full review
70
VarietyLisa Nesselson
A fantastical romp with a buoyant pace, exotic locations, a finger-popping score, appealing leads and spicy cooking demonstrations. Read full review
63
New York PostJonathan Foreman
Prime date fare, but cotton-candy light and occasionally just a little too whimsical. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This is the kind of movie you sort of like, and yet even while you're liking it, you're thinking how much better these characters and this situation could have been with a little more imagination and daring. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Tries too hard to be playful and sensual, wacky and romantic, and comes away feeling fake and prefabricated instead. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMarc Caro
A dish that's pretty easy to swallow, but if it could have borrowed some of Isabella's more potent spices, it might have boasted a more lasting flavor. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeJay Carr
A romantic fairy tale that's light and in several ways seductive, if not exactly filling. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
This gently satirical farce is atmospheric when dabbling in religion--the chef turns to spiritual magic to defuse her passion for her husband--and moving during her heart-to-hearts with her friend. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyJohn Patterson
Relentlessly positive and optimistic, the film is also likable, in the most chaste way imaginable. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Awfully sloppy entertainment, built on a script with only a glancing acquaintance with logic, filled with uneven performances and staged with a near-amateur touch for comedy. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Gets the proportions all wrong -- too much magic, not enough realism. Read full review
50
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
Not the sweaty midnight stroll through the garden of carnal delights that its title wants you to believe. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
Wants to be a brightly colored bubble but has trouble getting aloft. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleRussell Smith
Thanks to this relentlessly likable film's playful sexuality and utter lack of pretension it's surprisingly easy to let all of one's objections float away on a fragrant cloud of kitchen sweat, pheromones, and sweet lime zest. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunAnn Hornaday
Lovely to look at and listen to but doesn't reward any closer study. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
This would-be spicy film has been made blandly palatable. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Bright, bubbly and thoroughly inconsequential. Read full review
49
Mr. ShowbizMichael Atkinson
Predictable, tame dreariness. Read full review
40
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Never the magic charmer it sets out to be. Read full review
40
Village VoiceJessica Winter
Too flimsily built and baldly unfunny to bolster Cruz's charms, but Almodóvar's blessed Virgin is, as usual, winning and guilelessly seductive. Read full review
33
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Has all the mood enhancing flavor of a tropical cocktail made with watered down rum and fake fruit juice. Read full review
30
Film.comRobert Horton
There is something especially irritating about whimsy done badly. Read full review
30
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Cruz is a dish, but her movie is as soggy and indigestible as Styrofoam.
30
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
Consistently fails to deliver the charm it presumes to have. Read full review
30
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Just a string of cute gags and pouting on Isabella's part that's supposed to signify soul-searching. Read full review
30
Film.comJohn Hartl
The visual fireworks and catchy score just underline the extreme superficiality of the material. Read full review
20
TNT RoughCutAndy Klein
This is as close to a total wipeout as can be imagined. Read full review
20
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
If Penélope Cruz were any less attractive, maybe someone would have noticed how dull this mild, would-be romantic fairy tale has turned out. Read full review
10
Washington PostRita Kempley
The mind will be starved for subtlety, wit and substance. Read full review
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