80
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumWhat could have been a parlor game becomes a surprisingly rich sketchbook, boosted by the work of fine actors.
- 90Film ThreatFilm ThreatGarcia is a thoughtful filmmaker not only by the group of actors he has gathered, but in remembering that there has been and will be people watching his movie.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttA bold film both in its storytelling strategies and its filmmaking logistics.
- 90The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenTogether, however, they add up to a film that may be the closest movies have come to the cinematic equivalent of a collection of Chekhov short stories.
- 90Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasThat rare episode film that actually accrues a cumulative power and doesn't merely proceed from one segment to the next.
- 80VarietyScott FoundasVarietyScott FoundasThough the episodic structure results in a whole not quite equal to some of its parts, pic is an unusually tender, perceptive character study buoyed by stellar performances from a who's who of talented (and many underused) actresses.
- 75New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsA couple of the stories don't quite accomplish what Rodrigo intends, but most are poignant, disturbing, and superbly acted.
- 67Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerThe uneven Nine Lives has an impressive cast, but the best section features the great Mexican actress Elpidio Carrillo as a prison inmate kept from her child.
- 63New York PostNew York PostNine Lives hands the viewer a lot of work -- learning a whole new set of characters every few minutes -- for a disappointing wage. The bad stories waste your time, and the good ones leave you unsatisfied.
- 50Village VoiceLaura SinagraVillage VoiceLaura SinagraIn yet another roundelay that, like "Crash" and "Heights," follows the "Short Cuts" template of cosmic interconnection.