--- title: "Scent of a Woman: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/scent-of-a-woman/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/scent-of-a-woman" critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Scent of a Woman (1992): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 7 reviews: 5 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Scent of a Woman, with praise concentrated on Al Pacino’s performance as the abrasive, unhappy blind colonel. The reviews repeatedly credit his shifts between bullying, charm and despair with making a familiar story involving an older man and a teenager compelling, even when its plotting strains belief. The interplay between the leads also earns approval, with Chris O’Donnell’s quieter contribution providing support for a performance that dominates the film. The reservations centre on length, contrivance and sentimentality, though critics differ considerably over how much these matter. Some find Pacino sufficiently entertaining to carry the predictable material; Variety argues that the film stretches its modest premise too far. The New Yorker offers a more fundamental dissent: it finds Pacino’s characterisation so chilling and emotionally complex that the story’s reassuring moral framework cannot adequately contain it. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 1992. The critic praises the film as an intelligent and skillful take on coming-of-age and prep-school genres, highlighting Al Pacino's risky and powerful performance as the abrasive yet romantic blind colonel. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/scent-of-a-woman-1992) ## Los Angeles Times — Peter Rainer Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 1992. The review highlights Pacino's powerful, self-loathing performance as a desolate bully in a limited-scope drama that works due to its focus on language and character interplay between the leads. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-23-ca-2111-story.html) ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 4/5. This lengthy melodrama avoids sickly sentiment thanks to Al Pacino's towering, Oscar-winning performance as the blind ex-soldier enjoying a New York weekend. Chris O'Donnell's supporting role is quietly impressive, but the film belongs to Pacino's commanding presence. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-u1yijf/scent-of-a-woman/) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 1992. The review calls the film a conventional buddy story elevated by Al Pacino's show-stopping intensity and the strong showcase it provides for his talents, turning contrived elements into an effective vehicle. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/23/movies/review-film-scent-of-a-woman-al-pacino-indulging-a-lust-for-life.html) ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). Pacino dominates as the irascible blind colonel in a contrived, overlong buddy picture that echoes Rain Man and Dead Poets Society. The film is predictable and unoriginal but remains entertaining thanks to the star's showy, relish-filled performance. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/scent-woman-review/) ## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 1992. The critic finds the movie's heartwarming intentions undermined by Pacino's complex and chilling performance, which taps emotions too deep and frightening to resolve neatly in the story's moral ending. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1992/12/28/the-enemy-within) ## Time Out — SGr 10 September 2012. The film combines two plots around a blind, bitter ex-soldier and a teenager hired to watch him, with a predictable but wholesome outcome. Pacino's energetic, show-stopping performance as the lead, including a tango and a suicide threat, is the main draw despite the corniness. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/scent-of-a-woman) ## Variety — Variety Staff Rating **. 31 December 1991. The review notes Pacino's virtuoso star turn but criticizes the film for indulgently stretching a modest conceit past the breaking point in its reconceptualization of the source material. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1991/film/reviews/scent-of-a-woman-2-1200429261/) ## Collider — Lloyd Farley Rating A. 23 December 2022. The critic praises Al Pacino's nuanced and masterful performance as the blind Lt. Col. Frank Slade, highlighting its range from charm to despair, and notes the film's exploration of duality, growth, and makeshift family bonds between Slade and Charlie. They single out Pacino's Oscar-worthy portrayal and the strong lead performances as standout elements. [Read the review](https://collider.com/scent-of-a-woman-review-al-pacino/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/scent-of-a-woman.md