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Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo ... see more see more... , Chus Lampreave , Antonio de la Torre , Carlos Bianco , Carmen Machi , María Isabel Díaz , Neus Sanz , Leandro Rivera , Pepa Aniorte , Yolanda Ramos , Elvira Cuadrupani , María Alfonsa Rosso , Fany de Castro , Eli Iranzo , Carlos Sasha Garcia , Cambero Magdalena Broto , Isabel Ayúcar , Concha Galan , Mari Franç Torres , Natalia Roig

Two sisters learn that the bonds of family don't always end after death in this gentle observational comedy drama that marks celebrated Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar's 16th feature. The story expl... read more read more...ores the interactions between three generations of women in a Spanish family. Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) was born and raised in the apocryphal village of Alcanfor de las Infantas, in La Mancha, Spain. However, she now resides in Madrid, where she works as a janitor. She is married to Paco (Antonio de la Torre), an unemployed layabout, and looks after her daughter, Paula (Yohana Cobo). Raimunda's mother, Irene (Carmen Maura), died several years back (along with her father) in a house fire. Raimunda's younger sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), also lives in Madrid and works as a hair stylist, while their aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave) still makes her home in La Mancha, with occasional help from neighbor Agustina (Blanca Portillo). The story takes an unusual and mystical twist when Agustina mentions that Irene has begun reappearing in ghostly form -- a fact questioned by Raimunda and Sole. After a murder and an unexpected family tragedy, Paula's story is indeed corroborated by the appearance of Irene's spirit (who has come to comfort her family), and Sole must decide how to respond to the long-dead mother's strange, enchanting presence. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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88% liked it

68,894 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

160 critics

R, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar

Release Date: November 3, 2006

Keywords: touching, heavy

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DVD Release Date: April 3, 2007

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Stats: 6,993 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (6,993)

  • paulkoh110
    January 30, 2012
    paulkoh110
    Its a real domestic film that hits many issues like home, family, and life. Penelope Cruz's performance was fantastic as well as Almodvar's directing. A great watch!
  • danperry17
    January 18, 2012
    danperry17
    A high rating mostly for the way in which this plot manages to turn and return so seamlessly, covering all kinds of ground: abuse, poverty, murder, cancer, familial bonds, lies, secrets, love and more. As always, Almodovar's characters are very rigid people, set in their ways and... read more keeping their walls up, focused on one thing, and in Volver, Penelope Cruz plays one of the most impenetrable characters I've ever seen on film. She's so beautiful and she's struggling, so everyone would want to help her, but - without giving away too much of the plot! - she has a secret that she must do everything to keep. A bit slow in the early going, but the intensity continues to rise until the film's conclusion, which if you're not careful, will make your head spin. For me it all started to sink in as the credits rolled, and I found myself nodding, slowly coming around, saying "Yes, that was a good ending" each time I followed another thread to its end. A director whose work I will soon delve into deeply, no question. A very good film.
  • nadirairdiana
    January 15, 2012
    nadirairdiana
    Love the film. It is unique and one of the kind. It's that kind of film that will be hard to follow if you are doing something else while watching it, but you can be sure it's an amazing one. The script writing is fabulous - probably the best I have ever encounter. From the begin... read morening until the end you will be able to see connections. Penelope Cruz is truly a gem when she's doing a Spanish film. And... the last but not least, you should be sure that Almodovar is an exceptional director and I look forward to see more of his films.
  • c0up
    December 27, 2011
    c0up
    'Volver'. Almodovar's directorial flair shines through in this quirky, charming drama about three generations of women. Penelope Cruz enchants every second she's on screen.

    The colour red is so distinct throughout this film, and Almodovar goes about capturing it in such a way th... read moreat seems so unique, but I can't quite describe.
  • harrycaul
    April 25, 2011
    harrycaul
    I was totally unprepared for how much I enjoyed this movie! Dimly aware of having received some positive word of mouth about it, I recorded Volver ages ago and set it aside for a rainy day. When they are not literally one and the same thing - which isn't often enough in th... read moree United Kingdom - a tedious Bank Holiday weekend is the next best thing to the proverbial rainy day, so I dug this out last night, more to pass the time than with any expectation of a marvellous evening's entertainment. Within five minutes, however, Pedro Almodóvar's gift for storytelling and the terrific performances of the female ensemble had me well and truly hooked. I particularly love how Almodóvar keeps the supernatural element going for as long as he possibly can, so that we don't know for certain whether we're watching realistic fantasy or fantastic realism until very near the end. Great fun!
  • Saxia
    November 29, 2010
    Saxia
    I really liked how it starts out surrealistic and halfway through the movie this changes. Definitely one of the best by Almodóvar I've seen so far.
    ... read moreom/photo/97/07/24/9707246_gal.jpg" border="0"/>
  • neverteaseaweasel
    November 17, 2010
    neverteaseaweasel
    How can you not love Penelope Cruz? Seriously, no matter what film she is in, she always plays a character that I would love to meet. Volver is definitely a great film, but I am also just as confident that it would not be nearly so great had Miss Cruz not been cast in it. The onl... read morey other Almodovar film I have seen is Broken Embraces, and this feels like the stronger of the two. It isn't quite as over-the-top and is much easier to follow. It is a very poetic film, but I'm not sure what meaning there was. It really isn't serious either. I mean, there's really no way it could be anything else, but the tone is always very light and entertaining. I believe the dvd case hailed it as a 'celebration of women' which, well, sounds kind of raunchy. That is not the case at all, the film is really rather feministic. It shows that charm and resilience of these women, their loyalty and determination, and who could possibly do this better than Penelope Cruz and Pedro Almodovar?
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    August 15, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    My mom saw this film before I did and called it "strange", but I don't see why, I liked it. This is my second Almodovar film and I've come to realize his films are a little non traditional, but at the end of the day, I still really like them. There's something meaty in the story ... read morethat just sticks with you long after it's done and that is worthwhile.
    My only qualm (and it is small) is that Penelope Cruz is FAR too gorgeous to be a maid. I mean, get real people...
  • cosmo313
    August 5, 2010
    cosmo313
    This offbeat meditation on life, death, and family very much seemed Coenesque, which should be taken as a high compliment. Since this film is my first exposure, I cannot say how it fits in with the rest of his work, or how it ranks with them in terms of quality. Having to judge i... read moret on its own terms then, I say it's pretty good. Had I been able to get into it more, or know what to expect, my grade would have robably been higher or lower accrodingly. As it is though, I liked this, but didn't think it was super amazing or anything like that.

    The look is wonderful, and the colors and sets just pop. The acting is terrific, and Cruz proves that when she isn't doing American movies, she truly is more than just a beauty to look at. The rest of the cast is also good. I really found the prostitute quite amusing. Tonally this was uneven, but it seemed to work out okay. I liked the quirky sly humor and the irony of things- more stuff that reinded me of Joel and Ethan Coen.

    This is entertaining, but you have to be in the right mood to enjoy it. That, and it helps to be open minded about foreign films. So, given that, you should know if you might like this or not.
  • pingsley
    July 14, 2010
    pingsley
    I re-watched this movie last night for the first time in several years and I almost forgot how excellent it is. It's one of Almaldovar's finest, and while, as Ed points out, it can be a bit predictable, the director presents the film with such touching sentimentality that the re... read morevelation is ancillary to the relationships between the women in the film. Beautifully shot, deeply touching, and well acted. Honestly, what more do you want from a film?

View All Volver Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
January 19, 2007
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

It's clever and entertaining. It's marvelously deft, but never daffy. It works well enough, despite feeling like the most conventional film this great, envelope-pushing Spanish director has ever made. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
December 28, 2006
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

Pedro Almodóvar whipstitches a movie from patches of those mother-daughter melodramas Mildred Pierce, Bellissima and Two Women and makes it seamless and original, funny as it is fierce, breathtaking a...

Amy Biancolli
December 22, 2006
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

The Return rattles its chains for a spell, but it doesn't linger -- it quickly leaves. Full Review

Tom Long
December 22, 2006
Tom Long, Detroit News

Volver is rich, crazy, ambitious and filled with heaven and earth in a way that no other filmmaker can touch. It is a flawed beauty, but the beauty is so much more important than the flaws. Full Review

Terry Lawson
December 22, 2006
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

If Almodovar is in great form, Cruz is even shapelier, with no small number of gags involving her cleavage. Full Review

Matt Weitz
December 22, 2006
Matt Weitz, Denver Rocky Mountain News

Volver qualifies as a must-see movie for the director's fans or for those who wish to admire one of the greatest living cinema artists.

Lisa Kennedy
December 22, 2006
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Ripe with female characters and embroidered with flourishes that hint at Hollywood's Golden Age, Volver is one of Almodóvar's finest films. It is also one of his most emotionally delightful. Full Review

Andrea Gronvall
December 21, 2006
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader

[A] gritty melodrama tempered by surreal black humor. Full Review

Bill Muller
December 21, 2006
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic

Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar always has fun toying with our perceptions and expectations and does it yet again with Volver, a darkly comic look at mortality and family secrets. Full Review

Desson Thomson
December 21, 2006
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

A deeply entertaining experience that engages our hearts as well as our funny bones. Full Review

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