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Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, Calista Flockhart, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman ... see more see more... , Valeria Golino , Holly Hunter , Matt Craven , Gregory Hines , Miguel Sandoval , Noah Fleiss , Danny Woodburn , Roma Maffia , Elpidia Carrillo , Penny Allen

Although Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her does bear some similarities to Short Cuts and Magnolia in its setting (Southern California) and mood (modern malaise), and its multiple story format... read more read more..., its focus is exclusively on female characters, and it's possible to view each story on its own. The film begins with a prologue: Police detectives are investigating the apparent suicide of a Hispanic woman (Elpidia Carillo). "This Is Dr. Keener" deals with Dr. Elaine Keener (Glenn Close), a single professional woman attempting to care for her aging and infirm mother and deal with her own loneliness. She invites Christine (Calista Flockhart), a tarot card reader, into her home to make some sense of her life. "Fantasies About Rebecca" profiles a successful bank manager (Holly Hunter) involved with a married man (Gregory Hines). When she learns that she is pregnant, he coldly advises her to take care of the "problem." Before she visits Dr. Keener to have an abortion, she impulsively has a fling with a colleague (Matt Craven). She is also confronted by a female street person in the bank's parking lot. "Someone for Rose" is about a single mother (Kathy Baker), a writer of children's books. She is attracted to a new neighbor, a dwarf (Danny Woodburn), and he catches her spying on him in his house. She's also amazed to find that her son is more sexually active than she knew -- and more than she is herself. "Good Night Lilly, Good Night Christine" details the relationship between the tarot card reader Christine and her lover, Lilly (Valeria Golino), who is critically ill with an unnamed disease. The final story, "Love Waits for Kathy," concerns two sisters, Carol (Cameron Diaz), a lovely blind woman with an active social life, and her police detective sibling, Kathy (Amy Brenneman), one of the detectives who appeared in the prologue. Kathy is attracted to the medical examiner in the suicide case, and her story ends with him taking her out on a date. In an epilogue, Dr. Keener drops in to a bar, where she meets a male character from one of the earlier stories. Debuting director Rodrigo Garcia, a noted cinematographer, is the son of writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Things You Can Tell made its debut on cable television, although it was originally intended to be a theatrical release. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi

Flixster Users

61% liked it

4,485 ratings

Critics

74% liked it

19 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: Rodrigo García

Release Date: January 1, 2000

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DVD Release Date: December 26, 2001

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Stats: 211 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (211)

  • hunterjt13
    July 25, 2011
    hunterjt13
    Five vignettes about LA women who are connected only by the film's poetic story-telling.
    Though the film attempts to link the five stories, it falls well short of the Altman Standard for creative interweaving. This in and of itself is not damning, but I am astounded by the skill... read moreed story construction it takes to reach the Altman Standard. This film did not astound me.
    In fact, strong performances by the entire cast, especially Gleen Close and Holly Hunter, keep this film from becoming a maudlin soap opera. In their stories, they are subjected to clairvoyants, one a tarot card reader, the other a homeless woman, and while their respective prophecies do little to change their lives' courses, the characters are forced to confront uncomfortable realities.
    Another highlight is the film's dialogue, which is poetic but fits well in these characters' mouths. Writer/director Rodrigo Garcia balances lines worthy of a literary story with the naturalness of his subject matter.
    Overall, there isn't a lot wrong with Things You Can Tell just by Looking at Her, but it fails to be truly extraordinary like the legendary director Garcia is imitating.
  • LWOODS04
    March 20, 2010
    LWOODS04
    Amy Brenneman, Glenn Close, Calista Flockhart, Holly Hunter, Gregory Hines, Cameron Diaz, Matt Craven, Kathy Bates, Danny Woodburn, Valeria Golino, Noah Fleiss, Romma Mafia, Mika Boorem

    DIRECTED BY: Rodrigo Garcia

    This is a story roughly surrounding seven women. I can see a... read morell the men fleeting as I type that, lol.. It most definitely is a chick flick, so I can see some guys cringing away. But some of you out there secretly like these movies, admit it..LOL. This movie is full of some very talented actress's, some of my favorites. I was really excited to see this movie to see how it all ladies intertwined with one another in the story. I must say I really enjoyed how they connected all the women together without them actually really knowing each other. It was definitely an interesting watch and kinda sad as well. Seeing one losing their partner to an illness, the other to his wife, and seeing the other's being so desperate to have a partner. It's obvious that this is how it is for some women. But personally I find being desperate and clingy like Glenn Close character just sad. Her character is the one I felt more sad for then any of them besides Calista Flockhart. and Holly Hunters. Holly not so much for her relationship, but for what she gave up because of the relationship she had. Great acting by all. Even the younger stars in this film. Some of the stories where more interesting then others, but still flowed with the movie in its entire very well. Worth seeing if you like chick flicks.
  • purplemegan
    July 27, 2009
    purplemegan
    I like movies where everything is connected. I really wanted to know more about how they were each connected with the woman who committed suicide.
  • romy861
    December 20, 2008
    romy861
    Interestiing. This movie follows a few women who are all unhappy in some way. Nothing really gets resolved and there's no real ending or anyone having an epiphany over how to fix their problems. Just like real life. Sadly I could actually relate to a couple of these characters ... read morealthough I certainly wouldn't incriminate myself by revealing which! Cameron Diaz only has a small part in this, but is surprisingly convincing as a blind woman. Holly Hunter and Calista Flockhart are also very good.
  • dreamfaeries
    September 12, 2008
    dreamfaeries
    Odd, yet just my thing.
  • Yinali
    February 16, 2008
    Yinali
    It was cool, but it kind of doesn't make sense...
  • SunilJawahir
    October 25, 2008
    SunilJawahir
    A wonderful movie with really great actresses.
  • ileo
    December 10, 2007
    ileo
    This is one of my absolute favorite films!!
  • MorpheusOne
    April 25, 2010
    MorpheusOne
    I do prefer character driven stories but, this one was stranger than I had imagined it would be. The oddball characters were everywhere.... The things that the characters said to one another, as well as the things they didn't say, left me with a feeling that something was missing... read more, and that took something away from the film. Calista Flockhart reminded me of "Starvin' Marvin", from South Park. I felt a yearning desire to shove a cheeseburger down her throat...

    The acting was brilliant tho, that's for damned sure!
  • jam233
    September 1, 2009
    jam233
    Exceptional film with six separate stories of women and various crisis they are faced with. All the performances are excellent, particularly Glenn Close and Holly Hunter. Very well written, totally interesting, well directed and fascinating.

View All Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her Reviews

Critic Reviews

June 13, 2010
TIME Magazine

If the stories sometimes use Creative Writing 101 devices (like a quasi-prophetic homeless woman), the total effect is as spare and haunting as the film's arid, beautifully shot setting. Full Review

Todd McCarthy
August 5, 2008
Todd McCarthy, Variety

A collection of five femme-oriented vignettes that are not intricately linked dramatically but overlap characters, this observant, emotionally acute drama is distinguished by a pronounced poetic sensi... Full Review

Mick LaSalle
August 3, 2001
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

For every moment that sags, there are three or four that stand out as the kind of thing we never get to see in movies. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
March 9, 2001
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

What does it say when a picture like Rodrigo Garcia's lovingly detailed Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her, which won the first-time writer-director a prize at Cannes last year, doesn't make i... Full Review

Robert Pardi
June 13, 2010
Robert Pardi, TV Guide's Movie Guide

An imaginatively constructed soap-opera with a high-powered cast, this film follows several narrative threads, all involving unfulfilled Los Angeles women who find inner peace after learning there are... Full Review

Geoff Andrew
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Garcia excels at eliciting strong performances throughout and maintaining a consistent mood poised delicately between wry comedy and more serious contemplation of contemporary American female lives. Full Review

Chris Gore
December 6, 2005
Chris Gore, Film Threat

I ignored the description of the movie and just went in knowing that Cameron Diaz was supposed to be amazing. I was not disappointed, in fact, I was pleasantly surprised. Full Review

David Nusair
August 1, 2003
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...an intelligent and well-acted flick... Full Review

Alex Ramirez
July 3, 2002
Alex Ramirez, Cinenganos

Aplausos de pie. Hay tanto que ver y que decir en esta serie de historias, que merece no sólo una mirada, sino varias, y dignamente ganadas...

Annlee Ellingson
June 5, 2002
Annlee Ellingson, Boxoffice Magazine

Unfortunately, the peaceful pacing turns out to be a bit of a drag by the halfway mark, making the movie seem longer than it actually is, and Garcia's natural lighting isn't always the most flattering. Full Review

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