The reviews are warm and largely of one mind. Praise clusters on Soderbergh’s direction: the way he mixes suspense, comedy and romance, the flashbacks and pacing, and a mise en scène that gives the ensemble room to work. The chemistry between Clooney and Lopez is mentioned by nearly everyone, and one critic treats the film as Clooney’s breakthrough and Soderbergh’s comeback. Scott Frank’s adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel is credited with the bright dialogue, and one review calls it the best Leonard adaptation to reach the screen so far. Reservations are scarce; a couple of critics find the central affair strange as well as charming, and one senses a disquiet beneath the pleasure. The spread is narrow apart from a single dissent. Eye for Film finds the plot daft, the style misjudged, the gags flat and the action contrived, while conceding the leads have chemistry in the trunk scene. Everyone else finds it sly, sexy and well made.
Empire
1 January 2000 · Ian Nathan
The film marks Clooney's breakthrough and Soderbergh's comeback as a classy, sexy, laid-back Elmore Leonard adaptation with strong ensemble chemistry and witty direction.
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