The Invisible Circus (2001)

21% of critics liked it
(61 reviews)
43% of users liked it
(3,597 ratings)

A young woman trying to better understand the fate of her sister finds herself following in her footsteps in this emotional drama. 18-year-old Phoebe (Jordanna Brewster) has been haunted by the memory of her sister Faith (Cameron Diaz), who died under mysterious circumstances while travelling… More A young woman trying to better understand the fate of her sister finds herself following in her footsteps in this emotional drama. 18-year-old Phoebe (Jordanna Brewster) has been haunted by the memory of her sister Faith (Cameron Diaz), who died under mysterious circumstances while travelling through Europe several years earlier. Looking for closure, Phoebe decides to retrace her sister's journey in hopes of finding out what happened to her. In the course of her travels through France, Portugal, and the Netherlands, Phoebe crosses paths with Wolf (Christopher Eccleston), Faith's boyfriend, and finds herself falling for the man her sister once loved. Based on the acclaimed novel by Jennifer Egan, The Invisible Circus also features Blythe Danner and Camilla Belle. The film marked the directorial debut for screenwriter Adam Brooks. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Adam Brooks
Written By: Adam Brooks
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Feb 2, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Dec 10, 2002
Studio: New Line Cinema

Critic Reviews

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Strangely dispassionate and uncommitted for a movie about passionate commitment.
Charles Taylor, Salon.com
A movie for people who are so sensitive they barely notice the feelings of others or what's going on in the world.
David Edelstein, Slate
The film is overnarrated and in spots overwritten, but Brooks ... does well with actors, and he has coaxed an extraordinary performance out of the young Jordana Brewster.
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle
Part beautifully shot European travelogue and part moving exploration of the darker side of the hippie era's rabid idealism.
Todd McCarthy, Variety
A woefully tame and pallid affair.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
For whatever reason, Brooks has decided to distance his characters from the audience, and the result is a cold, uninvolving experience.
Ellen MacKay, Common Sense Media
Okay for older teens, but nothing special.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Adam Brooks' film is a total miss, both as a potentially intriguing look into the tumultuous politics of the 1960s and 1970s and as a coming of age of a girl obsessed with her sister's mysterious death
Michael Dequina, Film Threat
Whenever Brooks hits a stride, the mystery element takes over, and that crudely formed aspect of the film overwhelms what is fully functional.
Brent Simon, Entertainment Today
Cameron Diaz and Christopher Eccleston? Good. Jordana Brewster? Actorly indication, stilted line readings and nostril-flaring petulance. The result? A bad day at the Circus.
Anthony Miele, Film Threat
By the time the uninspiring finale occurs the audience is completely lost in boredom and longing for the credits.
Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly
Picturesque European locations, a mystery whose successive folds will be uncovered by Faith's ex-boyfriend (Christopher Eccleston, in a ratty wig he will have to live down for years), and some heavily psychological sermonizing.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's one big cliché of sentimental drivel.
Ted Murphy, Baseline.Hollywood.com
For fans of any of the performers involved, it should be a must-see.