69
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- Live Flesh, the best movie from Almodóvar since that Iberian screwball classic "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown."
- 88ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliEverything (not just the flesh) is vibrant with life.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumAlmodovar is positively mature, adapting a novel by Ruth Rendell so deftly that the plot now also describes the invigorating and sometimes disorienting effects of democracy after long years of repression under the Franco regime.
- 78Austin ChronicleRussell SmithAustin ChronicleRussell SmithPossibly due to the story's origin as a Ruth Rendell novel, this is the most coherent, viewer-friendly narrative he's ever filmed.
- 75Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittSome of the action is as lurid as the title, but passionate performances and ingenious visuals make this the most absorbing movie by Spanish director Almodvar since his great comedy "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown."
- 70Chicago ReaderLisa AlspectorChicago ReaderLisa AlspectorIt's all very clever but not really provocative - though a layer of political subtext may make the scenario seem funnier and more meaningful.
- 60SalonCharles TaylorSalonCharles TaylorLive Flesh isn't terrible. It's accomplished and watchable.
- It lacks both the shiny surfaces that enlivened the director's earlier films and the depth of character that allows us, in a traditional film, to identify, empathize, or connect psychologically.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleLive Flesh lacks freshness.
- 40EmpireEmpireThe psychological study that is the author's trademark is reduced to superficial and negative motivation - lust, guilt, revenge, escape.