52
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88ObserverRex ReedObserverRex ReedEvery complex member of the writer’s legacy has an agenda, with varying gains and losses, and the power of the film rests in the way it captures so many tangled lives as they cross and intersect at curious angles. The camera is literal, so the film sometimes fails to escape its roots of literary inspiration. This did not bother me. How many times do you get the chance to curl up with a good movie?
- 70The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterIts appeal naturally will be to book-reading audiences who appreciate films with well-written dialogue, a tony cast, lush visuals and the triumph of civilized values.
- 70Boxoffice MagazinePete HammondBoxoffice MagazinePete HammondPerformances are generally first-rate with Hopkins exhibiting an ease and laid-back approach that serves Adam perfectly.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenBesides Ms. Linney’s excellent performance and Mr. Hopkins’s good one, the best things about the movie are its sensuous cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe (“Talk to Her,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”) and a gorgeous soundtrack.
- 60Village VoiceVillage VoiceBest is Linney, conquering scenes as the acrid and touching Caroline, her regal bitterness a shield against nostalgia, dressed Park Avenue posh to drink alone.
- 58Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumLovely to look at -- and languid to the point of stultifying torpor, as interesting characters make speeches to one another about life, love, and literature.
- 55NPRElla TaylorNPRElla TaylorThe City of Your Final Destination does eventually prove intelligent enough about how we all become prisoners of dependency and obsession. Yet for a movie that argues for free agency and following your bliss rather than your career, it's awfully torpid.
- 50VarietyVarietyLanguid, multi-accented adaptation of the contempo novel by Peter Cameron suffers from an unfocused screenplay and direction.
- 50The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonThe A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonIt’s a frustratingly oblique film where few events connect, and fewer moments matter.
- 40Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearSo it’s no surprise that, even with longtime screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala watching his back, the director never finds his groove with Peter Cameron’s tale.