Watch
Volver

Volver

2006
Comedy, Drama
2h 1m
Three generations of women survive the east wind, fire, insanity, superstition and even death by means of goodness, lies and boundless vitality. (Sony Pictures Classics)
Your probable score
?

Volver

2006
Comedy, Drama
2h 1m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 62.13% from 3455 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(3455)
Compact view
Compact view
Rated 05 Jun 2009
96
95th
Volver regaled the viewer with opulent colors, awesome actors (up ahead Penelope Cruz her most charming role ever ), a dramatic plot with ups n' downs and fascinating music Spanish Cinema at it's best.Don't miss that Gem!!
Rated 01 Feb 2007
100
99th
Una obra magistral que te hace pensar mucho sobre el amor de madre. La fotografía es increíble y la puesta en escena es magnífica.
Rated 30 Jan 2009
85
88th
Excellent movie with regard to interpretations and a smart script, I thought that was going to disappoint me, but in the end it all made sense. Volver convincing, excites and makes up laughing. Penélope Cruz is very pretty and probably in his best performance.
Rated 16 Oct 2010
6
62nd
Whilst this is only very momentarily visually and stylistically stunning, the narrative and themes are solid enough to carry us through to the end. Some parts are tacky, but others are more enchanting. The issues of fidelity, family bonds and tradition are given precedent, and even though it has been done before I was captivated enough to enjoy this. Cruz is excellent, and easily the stand out.
Rated 11 Apr 2012
6
46th
There are few film-makers able to portray women with as much insight, respect and passion as Almodovar does and this movie is the pinnacle of his trade. The writing really has it's moments of brilliance, but is not without faults and lacks focus. What did grab me though are the great performances and cinematography that is reason alone to see this film.
Rated 24 Jul 2007
83
84th
Loved Penelope Cruz in this. It's nice to see a film that's driven by the dialogue and interpersonal lives of its female characters and isn't smugly dismissed as a "chick flick".
Rated 20 Apr 2009
8
82nd
The cyclical structure of this movie is impeccable as is Cruz. I didn't like all of the subplots, it just seemed like filler a lot of the time. Not my favorite Almodovar but definitely worth your time.
Rated 21 Mar 2007
75
50th
Good, not great. I thought it slipped a bit towards the end. It seemed like some issues were left hanging. But most of the film was so enjoyable that it didn't bother me much that it kind of fizzled out a bit.
Rated 19 Jan 2009
65
39th
When you're excessively preoccupied to admire their costumes , you know there's something wrong going on...
Rated 14 Feb 2007
85
89th
It's everything you've seen in all the other Almodovar movies, but this time taken to a higher level of narrative perfection.
Rated 20 Apr 2007
60
44th
starts off as a strong, unique character and family piece, falls apart into bizarre soap opera drivel by the end. almodovar.
Rated 25 Aug 2007
80
47th
Beautifully presented and, yet, somewhat unsettling. I went back and forth between captivation and feeling slightly cheated. Overall, a unique and interesting film worth it's time.
Rated 10 Feb 2007
81
82nd
Almodovar shows yet again how deftly and sympathetically he can treat female characters in a touching yet highly comic and melodramatic narrative. The premise is definitely pretty outlandish, but it's an effective way of dealing with memory, maturity, and generally moving on with one's life. Cruz is magnetic as the lead, but the whole cast is pretty strong.
Rated 15 May 2007
71
57th
A good movie, but the Oscar talk may be misleading. It's not very strong as either a comedy or drama. Some things aren't fleshed out very well, and it's got a somewhat unsatisfying ending. Decent, but not amazing by any stretch of the word.
Rated 18 Oct 2010
85
66th
Cruz is wonderful, and everybody else is good too. As usual, Almodovar tells a good story with a few surprising twists and turns. The color is good, and the use of color--particular the reds--is very evocative.
Rated 26 Apr 2007
85
80th
Very good story just a bit slow...
Rated 23 Dec 2009
65
45th
Interesting, Almodovar would go on from this to make two incredible films that take numerous plot twists and create intricate and well crafted works. Here sadly, too many plot twists than needed in the final quarter botch what could have been another great film from him. It avoids toppling over with its melodrama at the beginning, but by the ending what could have been a great, unconventional drama with heart overcooks itself and sours the whole feature.
Rated 30 May 2009
70
13th
Starts out stylish, with a bunch of really interesting shots and a great flamenco scene, but gets tangled in a bunch of complicated stories later on. I didn't care much for the dialogue either.
Rated 01 Mar 2007
85
78th
Effervescent.
Rated 02 Jan 2009
40
7th
This is like a soap opera. no idea why Cruz got an oscar nod for this. Pants.
Rated 12 Jun 2009
73
87th
A hint of mystery and suspense in this fun family tale.
Rated 30 Aug 2009
90
87th
Almodovar does it again. Cruz is mesmerizing in the lead, and the layers and inter-character relationships are what make this a true gem.
Rated 18 Jan 2014
85
78th
I absolutely, positively adore that these women are not defined by the men in their life.
Rated 30 May 2009
100
99th
Surprisingly for me, one of the best films I have ever seen. The amount of detail in both the characters and story is stunning. I couldn't recommend this gem enough.
Rated 18 Aug 2009
72
24th
Visually, an opulent treat like most of his films. Story-wise, self-foot-shooting. Penelope Cruz's restaurant strand was the only part which held any interest at all for me as part of a movie plot. All the other characters and subplots were a waste of time. When will this director hire a decent screenwriter instead of kidding himself that he has any talent whatsoever in that department??
Rated 04 Dec 2013
70
50th
Not one of my favorite Almodovar movies.
Rated 03 Oct 2012
80
59th
Anneler ve evlatları. All About My Mother'dan sonra feminen bir film daha Almodovar'dan. Ama adam yapıyor, adam işliyor. Zerre sıkılmıyorsun izlerken. Oyunculuklar da çok iyi.
Rated 09 May 2010
77
24th
Subtle, character driven story with a strong cast. Nice, but not really my thing.
Rated 20 Feb 2011
83
63rd
A truly unique film about relationships between women. Of course that could describe any of Almadovar's films, but I can't say any more because it would give away too much. Just watch it.
Rated 05 May 2013
70
40th
Watched in Spanish so didn't really understand anything!
Rated 25 May 2012
85
81st
Fantastic blend of gentle comedy with what is, at times, a quite bleak slice of life drama. Well shot with great performances. The overall warmth emenating from this film's all round production is rejuvenating and uplifting.
Rated 31 Jul 2009
80
84th
Great little film. Recommeded.
Rated 08 Mar 2007
70
48th
Wonderful acting, but (as usual) Almodovar cuts corners in the writing - this time, with an unnecessary plot twist and convoluted subplot-driven resolution.
Rated 21 Mar 2009
20
44th
Almodóvar shows nary a trace of the erstwhile "bad boy," nothing now but a good, good boy, devoted to mothers in particular, reverential of females in general, the Spanish George Cukor. The result can be recommended to the well-trained legions who are willing to meet this filmmaker seven-eighths of the way. Even the foot-draggers must concede that it's deftly staged and well acted, and that Cruz, beyond acting well, shines like a star. Or more descriptively, a heavenly body.
Rated 29 Mar 2011
91
77th
favorite line: "don't say that or i'll cry......and ghosts don't cry." a rare treat: the successful blending of comedy, trust, truth, guilt and secrets.
Rated 21 Oct 2012
5
80th
The second half is wonderful. I'm still unsure why it took the direction it did to get there.
Rated 21 Sep 2007
88
97th
Penélope Cruz is fantastic in this movie.
Rated 04 Jun 2008
72
81st
Almodovar films do tend to have more interesting relations between female characters than can be found in just about any other movie. Excellent costume design.
Rated 13 Apr 2011
89
95th
Very nearly reaches the heights of Almodovar's best
Rated 03 Aug 2008
89
97th
If my wife doesn't start yawning in the middle of a movie, that's a good sign.
Rated 08 Jun 2008
74
64th
Just look al the colour palet and you will see how exuberant and rich this movie is.
Rated 26 Jul 2008
40
9th
Boring, but I may not be the target audience for what is very much a 'chick-flick'.
Rated 09 Sep 2009
83
82nd
Great Almodovar movie
Rated 23 Oct 2010
30
78th
"Mildred Pierce won Joan Crawford an Oscar, and Almodóvar's quaint riff on the Michael Curtiz classic may do the same for Penélope Cruz." - Ed Gonzalez
Rated 02 Sep 2015
90
70th
A story that takes its title to heart in very playful and emotional ways, with each main character experiencing some sort of return.This is one of Almodóvar's least "twisted" movies, yet arguably one of his finest.
Rated 24 Mar 2012
80
62nd
Entertaining but uneven film which explores fascinating concepts and themes, but feels over padded and overlong (especially in the mid-section). Stylish direction (as usual) from Almodovar, backed by terrific performances and a lively soundtrack -- but at the end of the day it is Cruz's film and she delivers with a magnificent, multi-faceted performance.
Rated 31 Aug 2008
80
89th
Wonderful movie. Shows a story of how a family comes full circle.
Rated 30 Dec 2008
60
18th
So boring, white people will rave about it, spanish people will find it so dull and insipid.
Rated 19 Mar 2007
70
36th
I love foreign flicks, but I didn't get the hype on this one...
Rated 16 Feb 2010
66
41st
Starts off too fast, then slows down too much and becomes repetitive. While pleasantly acted and directed, there isn't enough here to hold my interest the entire time. The ending was a bit better than the rest, but it still leaves me indifferent.
Rated 21 Feb 2011
80
68th
I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Felt a little weird being the only man in a room full of women during such a man-hating movie. And I'm not using man-hating in a derisive way. The men in this movie were hateable. I went into this movie knowing absolutely nothing, testing the waters for a mini-Almodovar marathon. A writer/director I've always heard of, but never given a chance. Volver was good enough, I'll check out maybe 3 or 4 more of his movies some time soon.
Rated 05 Oct 2013
86
87th
86.000
Rated 21 Nov 2016
81
65th
fun pedro almodovar
Rated 06 Oct 2007
87
83rd
A beautiful film that celebrates vitality in its writing and its visual sensibility. The film's high point is the singing centerpiece, as it draws its themes and characters together beautifully. There's a neatness to the ending that seems a bit too much, but I love revisiting these characters and the superstitious world they inhabit.
Rated 01 Jun 2007
69
34th
Pretty strange movie
Rated 23 Sep 2009
73
52nd
The story is good and the actresses shine, it just moves too slowly. While I certainly didn't mind the camera lingering on Penelope, that time could've been spent to make the movie actually go somewhere.
Rated 18 Jan 2009
70
36th
Nice movie.
Rated 08 Feb 2007
88
80th
A very fun Almodovar film with a well-executed storyline and a great musical number to boot.
Rated 07 Mar 2011
88
84th
wonderful story, wonderful storytelling...
Rated 30 Nov 2012
90
92nd
Penélope Cruz, who's been so painful to watch in English-language roles over the past few years, reminds us that she really can act; she just can't act speaking phonetic dialogue. In her native language she's witty, wry, and elegant.
Rated 17 Apr 2013
67
29th
I just wish the ending wasn't done in this way, when everything is told to us through talking heads. It would be more fascinating to be shown it in some fashion rather than told it.
Rated 26 Feb 2017
3
40th
Märkligt tunn historia. Visserligen återfinns Almodovars sedvanliga burleska humor också i denna film, men det som saknas är passion och känsla. Temat är (nog) förlåtelse, men dessa kvinnor slår i lika hög grad ihjäl. Den tragik som så småningom levereras - och som man vid det laget har anat uppemot en timme - saknar i förvånansvärt hög grad stark utlevelse. Filmen är inte alls färgstark på det förväntade sättet, utan är tvärtom ganska blek... dock utan att bli dålig. E
Rated 14 Oct 2007
90
86th
"A women's picture with perverts". Yet another Almodovar film that's way, way above par for him. Often tasteless, yet moving and poetic
Rated 05 Sep 2011
88
88th
Vibrant, passionate fun, as always with Almodovar. The cast were uniformly excellent, and the plot went in lots of neat places. I wasn't always enamoured with it - while Raimunda is an extremely sympathetic character watching her be consistently rude to everyone wasn't fun - but overall a wonderfully touching piece with enough subtle comedy to keep me smiling.
Rated 06 Feb 2015
68
67th
Almodovar at his most unabashedly crowd-pleasing and (relatively) conventional, easily his film that i'd be least surprised to see playing on the Lifetime Network (it's basically his Fried Green Tomatoes). His typical coincidence-heavy plot contrivances are played about as straight-faced and unironically soap opera-ish as Almodovar ever gets, and he follows his myriad of subplots faithfully to their conclusions (making for perhaps his longest and most convoluted, albeit it sweet-natured, film).
Rated 24 Aug 2007
79
66th
Rich and fun, but the conflict seems to lack gravity. As a result, the ending is not very engaging.
Rated 07 Jun 2011
75
72nd
With "Volver", Almodóvar has crafted another colorful, darkly humorous and feministic melodrama that, despite its excesses, remains an enjoyable and touching endeavor. Almodóvar uses every soap opera cliché imaginable -and he effortlessly blends the real with the surreal. Cruz proves that she can actually act, while Maura is also splendid -the director's trademark use of vibrant colors is seen here in full blossom. The film is weird, funny, over-the-top, tender and satisfying.
Rated 18 Dec 2014
63
34th
Way too many plots and a resolution which lasts for far too long, not to mention some needless twists and over-expository dialogue, something which I notice a lot in Almodovar's work. Volver is still enjoyable, with a nice set of memorable characters, and some excellent balance between comedy and drama in the first hour or so, but it slides from there.
Rated 17 Feb 2009
98
87th
Right now my favorite Almodóvar film and Cruz is just sensational. Moving, funny, with a song in the middle that made me cry
Rated 17 Sep 2007
75
79th
really good film
Rated 07 Dec 2013
65
54th
I don't quite know how to phrase what I thought about this film. It was good, but it was so strange in a way I can't really articulate. It definitely reminded me of other Pedro Almodovar films in terms of atmosphere and mood. I was confused by the whole thing in the middle, but it made a bit more sense in the end. The characters and their reactions and the way they behaved still seemed odd to me though. It's still probably worth a watch.
Rated 07 Feb 2008
36
15th
Not what I expected -- I thought there would be more depth. I almost didn't finish watching it, but I'm glad I did because the second half was better than the first. Still...I don't want to have to read subtitles for a chick flick.
Rated 08 Mar 2008
82
74th
javascript:fiSubmitRanking('11578','2494') Submit
Rated 21 Jun 2008
82
85th
Lovely, beautiful to look at, good performances. But oh, how I miss the Almodóvar that would push every envelope he could think of!
Rated 13 Dec 2007
82
82nd
null
Rated 01 Jan 2011
88
87th
88.000
Rated 24 May 2008
82
73rd
This one fits squarely within Almodovar's second tier. Which is not a bad place to be, I'd just hoped for something better. I really, really liked where the film ended up, but getting there wasn't that great. Two or three stunning moments, but most of it is sluggish and doesn't seem to go anywhere. Maybe there were too many subplots, or perhaps Almodovar just didn't have that certain spark this time (not a lot of humor here, for instance). Cruz is amazing, though, as is the rest of the cast.
Rated 12 Jun 2009
20
29th
Cruz the only redeeming section. This shares so much with all about my mother. It's like there are two streams of Almodovar, one of which he channels Godard and the other he channels Buñuel or some other hack. The Godard never reaches real maestro levels but these, if you take after the bad, why would you become good?
Rated 31 Aug 2009
79
70th
A spiritual predecessor to 'WDIDTDT?', with the same issues worked out for greater relevance. The first and last shots are mind-bogglingly brilliant; and I need more Carmen Maura in my life. Despite some minor pacing flaws, a poignant ode to overworked women and the human capacity for resilience.
Rated 06 Aug 2021
89
88th
9???????????????????????

Collections

(56)
Compact view
Showing 1 - 24 of 56 results

Similar Titles

Loading ...

Statistics

Loading ...