All About My Mother (Todo Sobre Mi Madre) (1999)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jan Marc M

  
  All About My Mother is a challenge to the conservative and conventional on family and relationships. Masterful performances, even from the young Penelope Cruz. Outrageously beautiful.

• Steven C

  
  It's nearly impossible to not be swept up in Pedro Almodóvar's melodrama "All About My Mother." It's a very affecting story that is clearly very personal and told with great care. The performances, especially from Cecilia Roth, are lovely and the… More
  It's nearly impossible to not be swept up in Pedro Almodóvar's melodrama "All About My Mother." It's a very affecting story that is clearly very personal and told with great care. The performances, especially from Cecilia Roth, are lovely and the cinematography is fluid and precise. "All About My Mother" is beautiful, funny and touching with just enough Spanish melodrama to wash it all down.

• ♥Robyn

  
  Manuela (Cecilia Roth) is the central character in this movie. She lives in Madrid with her son Esteban (Eloy Azorin),and for his birthday, she takes him to a production of Streetcar. The play holds special meaning for her as she played the role of Stella when she was younger. The… More
  Manuela (Cecilia Roth) is the central character in this movie. She lives in Madrid with her son Esteban (Eloy Azorin),and for his birthday, she takes him to a production of Streetcar. The play holds special meaning for her as she played the role of Stella when she was younger. The play moves both of them, and Esteban wants the autograph of Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes) after the show. He also wants Manuela to tell him the story about his father, an unknown figure in his life. Rojo enters a taxi before Esteban can reach her, so he chases after the taxi, only to be hit by a car and killed. She takes a journey back to Barcelona, where she left Estebans father long ago. For her son, Manuela sets out to find her sons father.....

• Cynthia S

  
  Not sure why, but it was not a grabber for me. To me, it was just an "ok" movie. I just did not connect with any of the players. I watched the whole thing, though it was a struggle. Interesting locale and very well made, but for some reason I was bored most of the time. I… More
  Not sure why, but it was not a grabber for me. To me, it was just an "ok" movie. I just did not connect with any of the players. I watched the whole thing, though it was a struggle. Interesting locale and very well made, but for some reason I was bored most of the time. I look back now on other Almodovar projects, and it appears that I am not a big fan of his movies...cuz I didn't rate those too high, either.

• Jennifer D

  
  WHAT? How have I not reviewed this movie yet? I watched this for extra credit in Spanish class and really ended up liking it. It's a gripping, extremely harsh story about sexual identity, HIV and family. Odd combo, right? Plus hottie Penelope Cruz is fantastic as always.

• Jim H

  
  Either something is lost in translation or the dialogue in this film is the most stagnant, expository ever to appear in an Oscar-winner. Some of the performances were wooden at best. Many of the themes are faux-edgy and seem to come from nowhere with little development, and the film… More
  Either something is lost in translation or the dialogue in this film is the most stagnant, expository ever to appear in an Oscar-winner. Some of the performances were wooden at best. Many of the themes are faux-edgy and seem to come from nowhere with little development, and the film pretends to have a mystery, but it is not adequately set up. Overall, I struggled to see why this film is so "great" and universally acclaimed.

• Randy T

  
  A grieving single mom leaves Madrid to search for her late son's transvestite father. Fascinating blend of diverse dramatic elements into a cohesive and interesting story. An odd premise for a major motion picture but one that works perfectly.

• Conner R

  
  Another near perfect film from Pedro Almodovar. The story is so consuming and powerful, that I feel it is almost impossible to not be able to relate to on some level. The idea of relationships between family and friends is so well told that you have automatic attachment to all the… More
  Another near perfect film from Pedro Almodovar. The story is so consuming and powerful, that I feel it is almost impossible to not be able to relate to on some level. The idea of relationships between family and friends is so well told that you have automatic attachment to all the characters. All the performances are extremely well done and you can see how much time is spent in development. Almodovar's style is so unique here as it is in all of his films, but this really captures a sense of happiness and hope after tragedy strikes. I loved the interweaving of A Streetcar Named Desire and how inadvertently similar the messages were with Stella and Manuela. I think you have to be crazy not to appreciate this film on some level.

• Lady D

  
  Another ?plucked from nowhere? story from Almodovar. Although this is a well known title, I didn?t feel this was quite as good as the other couple I have seen so far, yet just as unpredictable and again we really get to know the characters well throughout the story. Another… More
  Another ?plucked from nowhere? story from Almodovar. Although this is a well known title, I didn?t feel this was quite as good as the other couple I have seen so far, yet just as unpredictable and again we really get to know the characters well throughout the story. Another original piece.

• Michael S

  
  Pedro Almodovar's masterpiece. *On my "best of the 1990s" list.

• Robert C

  
  A Greek tragody en Espanol. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you want to call your Mom. The women in Almadovars films are always such a delight to watch.

• Red L

  
  A film about being a mother. In this case the son, Esteban is killed in a traffic accident, and the mom - Manuela goes to find out what happened to Esteban's father (who happens to be a transvestite). The movie has a number of themes including actors playing actors. I will… More
  A film about being a mother. In this case the son, Esteban is killed in a traffic accident, and the mom - Manuela goes to find out what happened to Esteban's father (who happens to be a transvestite). The movie has a number of themes including actors playing actors. I will need to see A Streetcar Named Desire now.

• Fernando Rafael Q

  
  Todo Sobre Mi Madre, another one of Pedro Almodovar's great movies and odes to women, this one, talks specially about mothers. it uses his very known tragicomedy style, and has a handful of powerful, intense performances by Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Antonia San Juan (who… More
  Todo Sobre Mi Madre, another one of Pedro Almodovar's great movies and odes to women, this one, talks specially about mothers. it uses his very known tragicomedy style, and has a handful of powerful, intense performances by Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Antonia San Juan (who i'm not sure if it's a guy or a girl) and the oscar-nominated Penelope Cruz, it's a really beautiful, heartbreaking film, and i love how Almodovar uses colors. You should definitely watch this oscar winner for best foreign film...

• Wildaly M

  
  Great ensemble of actresses. Each of them brings so much into this funny, inspiring, and bittersweet movie.

• Megan S

  
  It was okay. Rather depressing, but interesting and strange nonetheless.

• Sarah G

  
  I have to admit that I haven't watched a lot of Almodóvar's work in the past as it does look very familar. ie, I am a woman and I have seen all of that before. However when I watched the film I was plesently suprised. The film deals well will the problems that women face… More
  I have to admit that I haven't watched a lot of Almodóvar's work in the past as it does look very familar. ie, I am a woman and I have seen all of that before. However when I watched the film I was plesently suprised. The film deals well will the problems that women face in day to day life and uses the most tragic thing to happen to a woman, the loss of a child. This creates reality and will make millions of women emphthise with the chaacter of Manuela. I also love the American connectations withitn the film; <i>A Street Car Named Desire</i>, References to Truman Caporte and <i>All About Eve</i> and Bette Davis.. This, in my opinion is a key indicator to a Art House film, something which is often seen in this films. I enjoyed the way all the characters mingled with each other and played off one another, so to speak. All I related to in some respect and, as I said before could emphathise with the characters. There are some flaws, which stopped me from giving it 5 stars. I have seen a lot of this done before in various TV shows and films and at times it wasn't that interesting to see. The film is not quite the masterpiece that is often said in various reviews. For me it lacks something special for it to be entirly flawless. The performances were pretty good. Cecillia Roth, Penelope Cruz and whoever the guy was who played Esteban all performed very well and was the core of the film for me. Overall an excellent film, exploring the heart of a woman and what it is like for a woman in a prodomitly patrical society. In my opinion, this is not his best work, it just isn't as good as the brilliant <i> Talk To Her</i> which was just stunning and so well done. Worth the watch besides that.

• Leigh R

  
  Fantastically done.

• Eric B

  
  It's tempting to say "All About My Mother" is writer/director Pedro Almodovar's best film, and I only hesitate because my adoring memories of "Matador" and "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" are over 20 years old. What distinguishes… More
  It's tempting to say "All About My Mother" is writer/director Pedro Almodovar's best film, and I only hesitate because my adoring memories of "Matador" and "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" are over 20 years old. What distinguishes "All About My Mother" over other Almodovar movies? Easy. Cecila Roth's great lead performance, some genuinely touching moments and a sense that Almodovar is fully immersed in the tale's emotions rather than just smirking about his perverse twists on soap-opera formula. And of course, we all know how good he is at balancing complex, multiple-character stories. I feel like knowing too many details about the film beforehand would have tainted my enjoyment, so I'm not going to reveal much here. Let's just say the plot traces one woman's unusual, winding relationship with motherhood and spans birth, death, theater, drug addiction, prostitution, AIDS, Alzheimer's Disease, transsexualism, transvestism, nuns, organ transplants and plenty of references to "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "All About Eve."

• Sheldon C

  
  ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER opens into an atmosphere filled with a colorful palette where red dominates (a color established to signify the love, loss, and feelings involved), and introduces a slew of characters that are both normal and odd, bland yet interesting, and expectedly offbeat but… More
  ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER opens into an atmosphere filled with a colorful palette where red dominates (a color established to signify the love, loss, and feelings involved), and introduces a slew of characters that are both normal and odd, bland yet interesting, and expectedly offbeat but at heart as honest and humanistic as anybody else. In directing this well-written and wonderfully designed film, Pedro Almodovar implements a defined sense of charisma and powerful emotional overtones in which femininity is not only allowed to excel but at the same time challenged and touched upon in its many different forms no matter how exotic, controversial, or pedestrian (mothers, girlfriends, prostitutes, transvestites alike). What begins as a potential comedy with zany humor and outrageous characters quickly takes a dramatic turn into a touching and heartfelt story of Manuela, a woman searching for consolation from the death of her only son as well as her past - Cecilia Roth is stirringly affectionate as the main role as she leads a strong cast that includes a moving but understated turn by a younger Penelope Cruz. One of Almodovar's most recognized films, and for good reason.

• Laura C

  
  .This was my first Almodóvar film and remains my favorite. It really was love at first sight. I found this beautiful film to be at once heartbreaking and uplifting. Almodóvar manages to assemble an eclectic group of characters including a stage actress, a transvestite, a nun,… More
  .This was my first Almodóvar film and remains my favorite. It really was love at first sight. I found this beautiful film to be at once heartbreaking and uplifting. Almodóvar manages to assemble an eclectic group of characters including a stage actress, a transvestite, a nun, without resorting to stereotypes or cheapening their very human qualities. They aren't presented to us for the sake of entertainment, there is a greater purpose for the inclusion of each character. Breathtaking scenery and striking colour palette.

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