Most critics respond warmly to Scent of a Woman, with praise concentrated on Al Pacino’s performance as the abrasive, blind Colonel Slade. The reviews find energy, charisma and self-loathing in his portrayal, and generally credit him with sustaining the film through its more conventional passages. Chris O’Donnell’s quieter contribution and the relationship between the leads also draw approval, though Pacino receives most of the attention.
The reservations centre on length, predictability and the awkward joining of the prep-school story to the weekend with Slade. For most critics, the acting makes those weaknesses tolerable, but the spread of opinion is wide. The New Yorker offers a distinct objection: Pacino’s bitter, unsettling colonel works against the intended warmth rather than supplying it. The disagreement is less about his ability than about whether such a performance helps this particular sentimental story.