--- title: "Talk to Her: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/talk-to-her/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/talk-to-her" critics_score: 86 critics_reviews: 8 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." --- # Talk to Her (2002): what the critics said Critics' score 86 from 8 reviews: 8 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are uniformly positive, with praise clustering around Almodóvar’s quieter tone and his ability to draw complicated feelings from improbable melodrama. Most critics admire the way he brings tenderness, loneliness and troubling obsession into the same story without losing his taste for bodily comedy or theatrical flourishes. The performances receive broad approval, with The AV Club particularly praising Javier Cámara, while the dance sequences, melancholy imagery and silent film-within-the-film attract repeated attention. The differences concern emphasis more than verdict: some critics celebrate the emotional restraint, while others value the extravagant touches that survive it. Slant Magazine offers the clearest formal reservation, finding the theatrical style burdensome even as it praises the mixture of comedy and drama. The Guardian, meanwhile, sees sympathy and stylisation as making potentially horrific material approachable. The consensus remains strongly favourable, though the reviews vary in how much weight they give the story’s ethical discomfort. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 25 December 2002. The critic praises the film's ability to evoke complex emotions from improbable melodrama and kinky themes through the devoted, obsessive care two men give to comatose women. He singles out the director's skill in blending soap-opera elements with tragedy and a standout silent-film fantasy sequence for particular admiration. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/talk-to-her-2002) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 August 2012. The film grows from an apparently insubstantial confection into Almodóvar's most mature and rewarding work alongside All About My Mother. It combines profound emotion, ethical inquiry, high art and bodily gags while exploring love, loss, loneliness and the need for honest communication. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/talk-to-her) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 November 2002. Almodóvar has traded pop punch for a minor key in his later work, finding new dramatic possibilities. The film excels in its gentle rhymes between tragedy and happiness, carried by strong male performances especially Javier Cámara. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/talk-to-her-1798198057) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2002. The critic finds the film a tender, psychologically probing exploration of male adoration and romantic obsession centered on two men caring for comatose women. He singles out the smooth, melancholy imagery, the framing Pina Bausch dance sequences, and the director's newfound calm and emotional generosity for praise. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/11/25/obsessions) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 March 2002. Festival review. Almodóvar returns to his roots with a modest, serious and well-rounded straight drama that maintains freshness and originality. It mixes gender roles and features strong performances, memorable imagery and a universal subject matter that could attract wider audiences. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/talk-to-her-hable-con-ella/408639.article) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 June 2002. Though weighed down by its jazzy-theatrical formalism, the film pushes a uniquely soulful blend of comedy and drama. It evocatively suggests the need for spiritual invention and rebirth of body and spirit through Almodóvar's gliding camera and character dynamics. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/talk-to-her/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 August 2002. Almodóvar's film is calmer and less extravagant than his previous work but retains his unmistakable signature of theatricality and suspense. It explores two men's relationships with women in comas with imaginative warmth that neutralises potentially horrific elements through sympathy and stylisation. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/aug/23/1) ## Empire — Matthew Turner 23 August 2002. The critic declares it Almodóvar on top form with a personal film exploring story-telling, loneliness, friendship and communication. The review singles out the master-stroke of the saucy silent film-within-the-film called Shrinking Lover for its black humour and clever purpose. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/talk-review/) ## Evening Standard The critic hails Almodóvar as having come of age, with a human, recognisably life-like film that is quiet in tone, ravishingly cool in looks and superbly controlled in rhythm. The review singles out the eloquent use of the body in dance, physiotherapy and ritual as well as the surprising, extravagant stylistic elements like the silent film-within-the-film. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/pedro-proves-hes-one-of-the-greats-7381960.html) ## IndieWire 19 November 2002. The film is a postmodern melodrama that explores Almodóvar's signature themes with maturity. It highlights the director's evolving style in blending emotional depth with his established motifs. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-the-postmodern-melodrama-of-almodovars-talk-to-her-80113/) ## The Independent 22 August 2002. The critic calls it Almodóvar's latest and perhaps greatest film, a romantic drama surpassing even All About My Mother in psychological intricacy and perverse comedy. The review singles out the film's profound inquiry into the secret hearts of modern urban loners and the mesmerising performances by Javier Cámara and Darío Grandinetti. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/talk-to-her-15-174292.html) ## Collider — Chris Sasaguay Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2025. The critic calls it a captivating Oscar-winning masterpiece that explores male loneliness through an unlikely friendship tested by disturbing violence. The film is praised for its visual style and script but noted for sinking into darkness with a heavy tragic tone. [Read the review](https://collider.com/talk-to-her-pedro-almodovar/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray 21 August 2002. The critic finds the film absorbing rather than depressing and uplifting rather than sad. They single out the perfectly judged performances of the two male leads as they form an unexpected friendship while caring for women in comas. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/talk-to-her-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © 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/talk-to-her.md