Possesses a tone that wobbles masterfully between whimsy, dread, affection and horror, building on rich performances and an understated showiness to cast a queer and tingly spell.
In an astonishingly assured film debut, Coppola captures the poetry and sweetness of Eugenides' novel without allowing any of the standard rites of passage -- first dates, high-school dances -- to feel trite.
88
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Boston GlobeJay Carr
From start to finish there's a shimmer of discovery about it - our discovery of it, Coppola's discovery of how much she can do.
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
[Coppola] has the courage to play it in a minor key.
80
Village VoiceDennis Lim
Village VoiceDennis Lim
Coppola looks beyond the seductive metaphysical puzzle and locates the core of Eugenides's allegory in an obsessive, almost forensic act of remembering, both futile and inexplicably essential.
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Stack
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Stack
Coppola infuses her movie with a dreamy poetic tone, and deftly translates the essential metaphors of youth, sexuality and death without sacrificing an earthy humor.