Labors mightily to be as offensive and obnoxious as possible. It's inventive in an idiotic sort of way, though, and pauses occasionally to make serious points about movie violence and censorship.

There's no over-the-top music or comedy sequence to place this with the very best Disney animations, though, and Phil Collins's songs won't be to everyone's taste.

Tykwer's style gives the movie an explosive energy that never quits, marking him as the most ingenious new talent to hail from Germany in ages.

Girard invests each episode of this production with dramatic credibility and emotional strength.

The satire is crammed with sexual and scatological humor; some may find this Rabelaisian and refreshing, while others will detect the end of civilization as we know it.

Sayles takes great storytelling risks to explore this theme; his unusual approach will please some viewers and irritate others. [04 Jun 1999, p.14]

There's some very funny dialogue, but the picture falls apart when it tries to think real thoughts about celebrity, publicity, and the media.

Darkly elegant cinematography helps compensate for awful dialogue and lackluster acting.

The movie paints a vivid portrait of a time and place, but falls back on familiar formulas that diminish its value as both emotional drama and slice-of-life realism.

The nonlinear story consists of loosely linked fragments, some more effective than others, threaded together in a broodingly poetic way.

Angelopoulos paints the screen with appealing images, but the story and acting lack the special charge that might have lifted this drama to the high level of his greatest work. [28 May 1999, p.14]

The computer-driven effects are impressive, but the adventure is hampered by a flat screenplay, dull acting, and just a hint as to why the dark side of the Force will eventually transform cute little Anakin into the evil Darth Vader.

If the picture is often less spellbinding than it wants to be, it's partly Hoffman's fault for creating fantasy moods through traditional stage devices -- lavish props, cute makeup, peek-a-boo costumes -- that seem rather tame for this age of morphed-up visual surprises.

Long, bombastic, and violent, but fantasy fans may enjoy its fast-moving energy.

This is the kind of movie that literate viewers pine for, laced with gracefulness and wit.

Viewers should stay far away unless they have a strong stomach for deliberately disgusting effects.

Broderick and Witherspoon give perfectly matched performances at the head of a first-rate cast.

A lovestruck Californian kidnaps a neighbor's dog as a way of getting her attention.

Bids for originality by focusing on an offbeat profession. Every other aspect is pretty stale, though, from the smart-alecky characters to the romantic-triangle plot.

No show-business tradition is sturdier than the two-man comedy team, and no contemporary stars are better suited to the format than Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. Pairing them was a terrific idea.

Although some of the acting is strong, the atmosphere is so relentlessly sleazy that many moviegoers will want to go long before the final credits.

The best things about Never Been Kissed are its colorful camera work and funny dialogue.

There are a few clever lines and Cleese has some sensational moments, but that's not enough to make the farce seem fresh.

Altman is one of very few directors who could have assembled such a superb ensemble, and he makes the most of it from first scene to last.

Junger spins hilariously written scenes with split-second timing, although the story sags during its long middle portion.

The plot switches gears every time it threatens to run out of energy, which keeps the show as lively as it is preposterous.

Its screenplay veers in highly questionable directions before reaching a mean-spirited climax that outweighs Ron Howard's workmanlike filmmaking and the contributions of a star-powered cast.

Everyone works hard, but the results are sadly short of style and personality or irony and intelligence.