65
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThere are moments when Velvet Goldmine threatens to collapse under the weight of writer/director Todd Haynes' (Poison, Safe) ambition. But, sometimes amazingly, it doesn't, becoming in the process one of the year's freshest, most exciting films.
- 89Austin ChronicleRussell SmithAustin ChronicleRussell SmithIn terms of sheer, unrelenting visual invention, Velvet Goldmine is a wonder.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanVelvet Goldmine is no masterpiece, but, at its best, it's a ravishing rock dream.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranDazzling and dizzying, confusing and even annoying, Velvet Goldmine is a feverish dream of a film, a riot of color and attitude that is all pop decadence, all night long.
- 70SlateDavid EdelsteinSlateDavid EdelsteinHaynes sets out to demonstrate the power of popular music to change people's lives--to tell them it's OK to fashion themselves into anything they please.
- 70Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumConceptual to a fault, writer-director Todd Haynes (Poison, Safe) realizes one of his oldest and most cherished projects -- a celebration of the glam-rock era and the bisexuality it turned into an opulent circus -- with wit, glitter, and energy, but with such a scant sense of character or period that it leaves one feeling relatively empty as soon as it's over.
- 60Film ThreatRon WellsFilm ThreatRon WellsNow the big question: Does this whole thing actually work? Some of the time.
- 50San Francisco ExaminerSan Francisco ExaminerOn the one hand, you want to praise it for its stylishness and originality in tackling some fascinating subject matter. On the other hand, it's frustrating because it could have been so much better.
- 50Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertIt wants to be a movie in search of a truth, but it's more like a movie in search of itself.
- 20EmpireEmpireOn paper, fine; on celluloid, a Rocky Horror Show of nightmarish proportions.