Short Cuts
The day-to-day lives of a number of suburban Los Angeles loosely connected residents who cross paths. The role of chance and luck is central to the film, and many of the stories concern death and infidelity.
24 August 1947, Los Angeles, California, USA
16 October 1958, West Covina, California, USA
5 February 1962, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
9 June 1921, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
24 August 1949, Bangor, Maine, USA
3 March 1955, London, England, UK
1 September 1939, Detroit, Michigan, USA
8 February 1925, Newton, Massachusetts, USA
January 22, 2012
We are never made to care much about the afflicted characters because Altman doesn't and thereby the stories carry very little weight.
February 27, 2008
Performances are low key but accomplished, comedy and tragedy are delicately balanced and the whole thing has the feel of a sprawling but very absorbing soap.
February 27, 2008
Inevitably it's a mixed bag, though the film's assurance in keeping it all coherent is at times exhilarating.
February 27, 2008
The film is fascinating and complex, and benefits from a densely textured soundtrack that makes it as interesting to listen to as to watch.
May 20, 2003
The lives are often desperate and the characters inarticulate, but the group portrait is as grandly, sometimes as hilariously, realized as anything the director has ever done.
February 27, 2008
As the grand ringmaster, it's here that Altman passes the baton to his actors , whose behavioral insights are critical to the film's success.
May 12, 2001
Triumphantly fierce, funny, moving and innovative.
June 24, 2006
From the exhilarating opening, you know Altman's epic 'adaptation' of eight stories and a poem by Raymond Carver is going to be special.
April 28, 2011
The epidosic (by necessity) movie is uneven, but some of the stories are poignant and the acting always compelling
April 07, 2016
It's a funny/scary vision, with a manic edge -- which is why, when you come down from the high of the filmmaking, you may be left with the taste of ashes in your mouth. Altman's artistry can make you happy even when his art offers cold comfort.
February 27, 2008
Cool, clever and complex, Altman succeeds in bringing out the best from a highly talented cast.
