After the death of Lama Dorje, Tibetan Buddhist monks find three children — one American and two Nepalese — who may be the rebirth of their great teacher.
Little Buddha succeeds precisely because of its guileless innocence.
– Desson Thomson,
Washington Post,
1 Jan 2000
fresh:
Though uneven, the film is engagingly moving and often humorous.
– Joe Brown,
Washington Post,
1 Jan 2000
fresh:
A crazily mesmerizing pop artifact that ranks alongside Herman Hesse's novel Siddhartha in terms of extreme earnestness and quasi-religious entertainment value.
– Janet Maslin,
New York Times,
30 Aug 2004
rotten:
Bertolucci's epic is a disappointment.
– Wally Hammond,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
fresh:
Bertolucci's celebrated burnt-orange-and-burnished-lemon look remains handsome, and the story itself still commands some interest as a pivot into daunting material.