Movie Review for Lantana

Summary: Plagued with grief over the murder of her daughter, Valerie Sommers suspects that her husband John is cheating on her. When Valerie disappears, Detective Leon Zat and his partner Claudia attempt to solve the mystery of her absence. As they investigate, a complex web of love, sex and deceit emerges- drawing in four related couples whose various partners are distrustful and suspicious about each other's involvement.

                         Reviews of Lantana
By Dan Jardine of Apollo Guide (7/0)
            A stark and haunting study of marital discord.

By Eleanor Ringel Gillespie of Atlanta Journal-Constitution (7/0)
            It sounds pretty bleak. It is. And it’s slow. But it’s not bleak as in despairing and dull.

By Christopher Smith of Bangor Daily News (Maine) (7/0)
            As a mystery, "Lantana" is memorable. But as a study in human relationships and the human condit...

By Thomas Delapa of Boulder Weekly (7/0)
            The sort of movie that highbrow critics love to overrate...It's Married With Children for serious...

By Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times (7/0)
            What's surprising is how easy it is to follow the plot, and how the coincidences don't get in the...

By Mark Caro of Chicago Tribune (7/0)
            A meditation on fidelity in marriage where the suspense and surprises stem from who has -- or has...

                         Reviews of Lantana
By Paul Tatara of CNN.com (7/0)
            A gifted cast keeps the bummer moving forward with an intensity that's a thrill to behold.

By Harvey S. Karten of Compuserve (7/0)
            A nicely structured account of mid-life crises undergone by a group of Australians who meet throu...

By Arthur Lazere of culturevulture.net (7/0)
            Well-realized characterizations are undermined by the strained and artificial developments of the...

By Jeff Vice of Deseret News, Salt Lake City (7/0)
            Lawrence's storytelling skills don't seem to have eroded -- if anything, they may have gotten eve...

By Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly (6/1)
            Neither writer nor director supply good reasons why these miserable moderns do what they do. But ...

By Eric D. Snider of EricDSnider.com (7/0)
            These are, for the most part, believable and honest characters, though I'm not sure they always b...

                         Reviews of Lantana
By Walter Chaw of Film Freak Central (7/0)
            it's walking a perilous tightrope with "too stagy" on the one side and "too affected" on the othe...

By Shirley Sealy of Film Journal International (7/0)
            Lantana is no blockbuster, just exceptionally fine filmmaking.

By Rachel Gordon of filmcritic.com (7/0)
            Lantana's strengths and weaknesses, like its characters, balance each other out.

By Rick Groen of Globe and Mail (7/0)
            A sensitive essay that dearly wants to be a feature film.

By Eric Lurio of Greenwich Village Gazette (7/0)
            This is for fans of good acting, not good writing.

By Erin Free of Hollywood Reporter (7/0)
            A strong, consistently engrossing drama that boils with emotions distinctly real and recognizable...

                         Reviews of Lantana
By Eric Harrison of Houston Chronicle (6/1)
            Solving the mystery of the dead body would be enough for most Hollywood movies. In Lantana, it's ...

By Steve Rhodes of Internet Reviews (7/0)
             From the cheating husband to the bereft parents, every character earns our sympathy at some poin...

By Liz Braun of Jam! Movies (7/0)
            The characters are believable. Same with the dialogue.

By JoBlo of JoBlo's Movie Emporium (7/0)
            A terrific, multi-layered, character-driven story...

By Robert Roten of Laramie Movie Scope (7/0)
            Virtually all of the film's drama is character driven. The motivations are unforced and believabl...

By Kenneth Turan of Los Angeles Times (7/0)
            A remarkably thoughtful drama.

                         Reviews of Lantana
By Duane Dudek of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (7/0)
            Smolders but never explodes.

By Jeremy Heilman of MovieMartyr.com (7/0)
            Lantana is definitely a film that works better on a moment to moment basis than it does as a comp...

By Michael Dequina of Mr. Brown's Movies (7/0)
            Love is indeed the greatest mystery, and it's a bit unfortunate that the filmmakers weren't conte...

By Frank Swietek of One Guy's Opinion (7/0)
            While the contrivances tend to pile up rather uncomfortably...the picture is saved (though barel...

By Dennis Schwartz of Ozus' World Movie Reviews (7/0)
            Lantana couldn't quite pull off being both a mystery story and a psychological drama.

By Jeanne Aufmuth of Palo Alto Weekly (7/0)
            "Lantana" never veers off its course, but its path twists and turns with a frantic glee reminisce...

                         Reviews of Lantana
By John Esther of Pasadena Weekly (7/0)
            Cutting up love---In every dream house grows a Lantana of heartache

By Jon Popick of Planet Sick-Boy (7/0)
            Very effective acting talent, even if you've never heard of the dozen who don't enjoy above-the-t...

By Nikki Tranter of PopMatters (7/0)
            Deserves its accolades for, if nothing else, setting a tone for Australian filmmakers and reachin...

By Glenn Kenny of Premiere Magazine (7/0)
            The movie's thriller hook is really just that: a hook, a pretext on which to hang some remarkably...

By Pam Grady of Reel.com (7/0)
            A fascinating domestic drama -- wrapped in the trappings of a mystery -- that proves Lawrence's t...

By Laura Clifford of Reeling Reviews (7/0)
            This well constructed film will keep you guessing until the end

                         Reviews of Lantana
By James Berardinelli of ReelViews (7/0)
            The film is powerfully acted, with nary a weak performance to be found.

By Peter Travers of Rolling Stone (7/0)
            The acting is top-notch, and LaPaglia, who makes the cop's torment palpable, gives the performanc...

By Harry Guerin of RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) (7/0)
            It has a sensuality years away from the young faces and trainer-toned bodies we've come to expect...

By Joe Baltake of Sacramento Bee (8/0)
            One of the best.

By Jim Judy of Screen It! (7/0)
            An engaging and absorbing drama that rings true thanks to the cast and crew who excel at their re...

By Paula Nechak of Seattle Post-Intelligencer (7/0)
            Lawrence tweaks the stereotypes and creates rich character studies that speak volumes about how w...

                         Reviews of Lantana
By Moira MacDonald of Seattle Times (7/0)
            The emotional experience of "Lantana" is heightened by its marvelous ensemble cast, all of whom e...

By Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine (7/0)
            Lantana is Ray Lawrence's Aussie rendition of Short Cuts, a multi-character relationship saga dis...

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of Spirituality and Practice (7/0)
            This richly nuanced psychological drama circles around the complicated subject of love and offers...

By Rob Blackwelder of SPLICEDWire (7/0)
            Directed...with a deft, perceptive eye and ear for the delicate verbal and emotional intercourse ...

By Paul Salfen of Supercala.com (7/0)
            Intriguing Australian film that's a must for independent film fans.

By Frank Lovece of TV Guide's Movie Guide (4/3)
            Suffers from performances that are virtually all pitched to the same note of existential ennui.

                         Reviews of Lantana
By Ian Waldron-Mantgani of UK Critic (7/0)
            It makes thoughts and emotional webs run wild in our heads, and leaves us unsure of how to descri...

By Urban Cinefile Critics of Urban Cinefile (7/0)
            Warmly received at its world premiere (Opening Film, Sydney Film Festival, June 8, 2001), Lantana...

By Mike Clark of USA Today (7/0)
            A very adult picture with adult concerns that lingers in the mind the way so many of this year's ...

By Kevin Courrier of Boxoffice Magazine (3/4) No reference
            Casts a spell that draws one into the murky waters of transgression.

By Alex Ramirez of Cinenganos (3/4) No reference
            Uno de los dramas más hermosos que se han filmado.

By Ross Brooks of Citysearch (3/4) No reference
            A small, personal film, which ponders the importance of honesty, trust and love in a relationship...

                         Reviews of Lantana
By Steven Rosen of Denver Post (3/4) No reference
            Lantana is so rich in secondary characters and performances it's hard to mention them all. But yo...

By Staci Layne Wilson of Fantastica Daily (3/4) No reference
            A bit on the slow side.

By Dave White of IFilm (3/4) No reference
            Implausible tale.

By Robert W. Butler of Kansas City Star (3/4) No reference
            This is the sort of fiercely intelligent, emotionally gripping movie about people that almost nev...

By Glenn Whipp of Los Angeles Daily News (3/4) No reference
            A gripping story about real people trying to deal with an assortment of complex, bottled-up emoti...

By Rene Rodriguez of Miami Herald (3/4) No reference
            Even in its quiet moments, the movie is possessed by a moody, tenebrous aura that reflects the ch...

                         Reviews of Lantana
By Clint Morris of Moviehole (3/4) No reference
            Where "Lantana" succeeds is by out smarting it's audience. It is masquerading as a predictable th...

By Stephen Farber of Movieline (3/4) No reference
            That rare movie that can be called adult -- not because it incorporates a few frank sex scenes, b...

By Andrew Sarris of New York Observer (3/4) No reference
            Mr. LaPaglia, Ms. Armstrong, Mr. Rush and Ms. Hershey invest their roles with a profound humanity...

By John Anderson of Newsday (3/4) No reference
            Intricate, elegant, sophisticated and multilayered drama.

By Shawn Levy of Oregonian (3/4) No reference
            Lawrence arrays their outstanding work in sensual, fluent fashion, making a bright, shiny and att...

By Roger Moore of Orlando Sentinel (3/4) No reference
            Lawrence cast well and gets terrific performances all the way up and down the line.

                         Reviews of Lantana
By Steve Schneider of Orlando Weekly (3/4) No reference
            Lantana meets its coincidences head-on, with a wink and a nudge that -- abetted by a compelling s...

By Gary Thompson of Philadelphia Daily News (3/4) No reference
            I grew to resent the way the storylines began to collide and converge -- it isn't a small world, ...

By Sean Means of Salt Lake Tribune (3/4) No reference
            Lantana, as coiled and thorny as its title suggests, gets its chilling energy from LaPaglia's qui...

By David Elliott of San Diego Union-Tribune (3/4) No reference
            Lantana has more than the usual dramatic quota of unhappiness, but it's alive in each scene, beau...

By Joe Leydon of San Francisco Examiner (3/4) No reference
            A movie that rivets attention and generates suspense by underscoring how seemingly disparate live...

By Chris Hewitt (St. Paul) of St. Paul Pioneer Press (3/4) No reference
            Characters and situations that are compelling on their own get shoved together in ways that feel ...

                         Reviews of Lantana
By Desson Thomson of Washington Post (3/4) No reference
            Has a refreshingly keen ability to see everything from multiple angles.

Movie Distributors
Lionsgate

Production Companies
Beyond Films
Jan Chapman Films
Films Finance Corporation Australia (FFC)

Movie Studios