62
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenCanadian director Guy Maddin is an artist supreme - he steals with a liberal flourish and with enough sheer imagination that his previous films (Tales from the Gimli Hospital, Archangel) are often described as boldly original. Careful, his latest offering, is no exception - it's an honours graduate from the same school of dusted-off originality. [10 Oct 1992]
- 80Time OutNigel FloydTime OutNigel FloydUniquely weird, subtly macabre, and utterly compelling.
- 75Washington PostHal HinsonWashington PostHal HinsonCareful, the hilariously bizarre new film from Canadian director Guy Maddin, is like some lost masterpiece from a time-warped alternative dimension -- a strange artifact that time forgot.
- 75The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayAlthough longer and more complex than Gimli, thanks to a fine script by Maddin and George Toles, Careful is equally claustrophobic. The director's continued use of minimal lighting, deliberately phony-looking studio sets, and sterile overdubs perpetuates a feeling of blatant manufacture which undercuts any disturbing themes.
- 75Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumIf you like the early work of David Lynch you should definitely check this out; Maddin's films are every bit as beautiful and in certain respects a lot more sophisticated.
- 60TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineWhile the deliberately amateurish, stilted acting seems at odds with the fruity dialogue, Maddin's intention is to subdue every aspect of his peculiar dreamscape; acting, decor, costuming, cinematography and sound recording remain equal components. No one element predominates or upsets the director's carefully controlled chaos.
- 60Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonMaddin keeps what could have been a one-joke theme interesting for an admirably long time. But eventually, it becomes, well, hard to breathe. There's something wonderfully unique about the project but the reasons for doing it remain buried.
- 60The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenIf the central performances in Careful approached the earnest intensity of some of its early-1930's inspirations, the movie would probably be twice as funny.
- 50Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasAt 100 minutes Careful begins to bore, whereas at half that running time it might well have been unalloyed fun. [05 Nov 1993, p.F12]
- 40Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovAustin ChronicleMarc SavlovToo strange for its own good, Careful is less interesting as a film than it is as a Canadian cinematic anomaly.