80
Metascore
24 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenEasily among the top 10 films made last year.
- 91Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanA richly tender and moving experience.
- 90New Times (L.A.)Jean OppenheimerNew Times (L.A.)Jean OppenheimerBut in a calculated move that pays off handsomely, the picture's remarkable power is reserved for the end, when the intertwining themes coalesce in an extraordinarily satisfying and stirring way.
- 90TimeRichard SchickelTimeRichard Schickel[Salles]'s imagery, like his storytelling, is clear, often unaffectedly lovely, and quietly, powerfully haunting.
- 80VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyMontenegro carries the film su-perbly with her portrait of gritty strength being worn down to a state of tattered vulnerability, while newcomer de Oliveira, a shoeshine boy who won the role over 1,500 other aspirants, is engagingly natural and happily doesn't beg for viewer sympathy.
- 80The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinThere's plenty of room for sentimentality here, but the wonder of Salles' film is all in the telling.
- While the cinematography is gorgeous and the script extremely sharp, Central Station owes much of its strength to its two mismatched leads.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe movie's success rests largely on the shoulders of Fernanda Montenegro, an actress who successfully defeats any temptation to allow sentimentality to wreck her relationship with the child.
- 70New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerNew York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerIn this otherwise rather schematic swatch of social catharsis, Brazil's Fernanda Montenegro gives the best performance by an actress I've seen all year.
- 70Film ThreatRon WellsFilm ThreatRon WellsI wasn't in the mood for this film, but it got to me anyway.