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21 Grams Review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 4.0
    70

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Generally favorable reviews
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 100

    out of 100

    The New York Times A.O. Scott

    You won't come out unaffected, because the depths of intimacy that the Mexican director Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu plumbs here are so rarely touched by filmmakers that 21 Grams is tantamount to the discovery of a new country.

    Read Full Review

  • 100

    out of 100

    USA Today Claudia Puig

    Unstintingly explores and exposes excruciating pain, raw grief, ruinous vengeance and life-affirming resilience, creating human portraits that are uncommonly exhilarating in their honesty. This is cinematic art in its highest form.

    Read Full Review

  • 60

    out of 100

    Variety David Rooney

    Ambitiously structured in non-chronological fragments that form a fascinating puzzle, this raw drama about grief, guilt and redemption becomes ultimately overextended and overwrought in its final stretch.

    Read Full Review

  • 75

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    21 Grams tells such a tormenting story that it just about survives its style. It would have been more powerful in chronological order, and even as a puzzle, it has a deep effect.

    Read Full Review

  • 83

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

    Paradoxically, a movie that loses power the more you perceive what's actually going on in it. Laid end to end, the story is, to put it mildly, overwrought, fusing several cataclysms too many.

    Read Full Review

  • 90

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times Manohla Dargis

    What gives the film a formalist kick is that the story unfolds piecemeal as a series of nonlinear moments. What gives it soul are the three lead actors who pull the pieces together with devastating power.

    Read Full Review

  • 90

    out of 100

    The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

    A stunning virtuoso performance by director, cast and crew. This movie knocks you out with an astonishing blend of hyper-realism, visual complexity and powerful themes.

    Read Full Review

  • 90

    out of 100

    Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

    Mr. Penn has been praised lavishly for his work in "Mystic River," in a role that was no reach for him at all, but this is one of the stand-out performances of his career, layered and exquisitely nuanced. And, remarkably, he's only one-third of a stellar ensemble.

  • See all 21 Grams reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 16+

Thought-provoking film not for tweens/young teens.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this film includes tragic deaths and brutal violence with gory wounds. There are explicit sexual references and situations, including nudity and a brief glimpse of a porno film. Characters drink, smoke, and use drugs. A character attempts suicide. There is very strong language.

  • Families can talk about why Inarritu chose to tell the story this way. How would its impact have been different if told in a more conventional structure?

The good stuff
  • message true0

    Messages: Not an issue

What to watch for
  • violence false5

    Violence: Graphic violence, including shooting. Tragic deaths and brutal violence with gory wounds.

  • sex false5

    Sex: Very explicit sexual references and situations, nudity and a brief glimpse of a porno film.

  • language false5

    Language: There is very strong language.

  • consumerism false0

    Consumerism: Not an issue

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters drink, smoke, and use drugs.

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.

© Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Fan Reviews provided by

Average Rating: 3.871
Read all reviews Write a review at Fandango
4

by newyorkbadass

5

by geoelevation25

4

21 Grams review by jodyandcobee
**

Read all 21 Grams reviews at Fandango
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