Across the UniverseMovie Reviews

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 56 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 Iffy for 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Here is a bold, beautiful, visually enchanting musical where we walk INTO the theater humming the songs. Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    Somewhere around its midpoint, Across the Universe captured my heart, and I realized that falling in love with a movie is like falling in love with another person. Imperfections, however glaring, become endearing quirks once you've tumbled. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub

    While the songs are recycled, Across the Universe stands out just by existing. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Justin Chang

    All you need is love -- for the Beatles, for psychedelic visuals, for ideas about being young in the '60s -- to fully enjoy Across the Universe. Read full review

  • 63
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    To call it trippy would be an understatement. Your head might explode. Just don't accuse Taymor of playing it safe. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    While style trumps substance, something in the way this '60s tribute moves attracts us. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Julie Taymor's visual gifts are very much in evidence in Across the Universe, an ambitious, only partly successful attempt to reinvigorate the musical genre. Read full review

  • 42
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Goofy, pompous, annoyingly boomer-myopic Fab Four musical. Read full review

  • 40
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    A yawn and most unforgivably features some appalling arrangements of the Beatles' best-loved songs. Read full review

  • 38
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    Hobbled by its vaguely insulting comic-book version of the '60s and by a humorlessness that can only come from talented people convinced they're creating work for the ages. Read full review

View more reviews for Across the Universe on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Beatles musical hits strong notes amid sex, drugs.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that although there's much to like about this Beatles-inspired musical -- it's visionary, it introduces young audiences to iconic songs, and it addresses important social issues -- some of the content is iffy for teens. Characters drink and take drugs without any negative consequences, and there are a few nude scenes (though they're artfully staged and echo the deep love between main characters Lucy and Jude). Still, teens are likely to relate to the film's powerful messages about the importance of friendships and the need to question authority when lives are at stake.
  • Families can talk about how the Beatles' music defined a generation. Are the songs as relevant today as when they first became famous? What about their music makes it so universal? Families can also discuss the counter-culture movement of the 1960s and '70s. Are young people as involved with politics today as they were then? Or does that kind of passion only happen in movies anymore? Do you think that era tends to get idealized today? Why or why not?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Characters plot ways to dodge the draft, sneak into the country illegally, and question the government (though all for reasons they deem noble -- i.e. to stop the Vietnam War). There's kindness between Lucy and Jude, even when they're at odds, and Jude and Max form a very strong and loyal friendship.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Soldiers shoot at others during the Vietnam War; cops shoot at looters and beat protesters (one main character is bloodied); anti-war extremists build bombs; a quarrel between two men turns physical.
  • sex false3 Sex: Artistic scenes show two lovers floating in water, naked and kissing; they're also shown in bed (under the covers), waking up together, and locked in passionate embraces a handful of times (deep French kissing). Two scenes show bare breasts, and men's backsides are visible as well. Passing references to promiscuity.
  • language false3 Language: Runs the gamut from "bastard" to "s--t" and "f--k."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: The film is inspired by Beatles music. Some labels of alcoholic beverages get screen time.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters smoke pot and use psychedelic drugs. They also drink quite a bit, from beer to hard liquor.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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