40
Tossed together from a Hanif Kureishi screenplay which labours so many right-on themes that none leave their mark
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What are critics saying?
40
Washington Post by Desson Thomson
The trouble is, since few characters are fully developed, it's hard to care who's doing what to whom and why.
90
Sammy and Rosie has a fierce, scrambled intelligence. In this story about a group of interlocking characters in a London neighborhood on the fringe, Kureishi and Frears rack up all of their views on sex, politics, colonialism, social injustice and rebellion like balls in a game of pool, then send them flying. And they seem less interested in pocketing shots than in watching the balls ricochet and collide.
88
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
For people who love London and yet are thoughtful about it, this film is indispensable.
10
Los Angeles Times by Sheila Benson
Stunningly, ponderously bad.
80
The New York Times by Vincent Canby
Mr. Frears and Mr. Kureishi have composed Sammy and Rosie as if they were building a giant bonfire in a mock celebration of the achievements of contemporary British society and, by extension, of the civilized world. They throw everything on -love, death, sex, politics, violence. A lot of stuff doesn't easily burn, but there's also plenty that does.
40
Not as closely controlled as My Beautiful Laundrette, but still a purposeful cross-cultural comedy that raises a few questions alongside the few laughs.