In Colombia just after the Great War, an old man falls from a ladder; dying, he professes great love for his wife. After the funeral, a man calls on the widow - she dismisses him angrily. Flash back more than 50 years to the day Florentino Ariza, a telegraph boy, falls in love with Fermina Daza, the daughter of a mule trader.
Bardem's hypnotic presence, like that of an Easter Island statue come to life, is one of the film's many pleasures. As is its intimations of a love everlasting.
– Carrie Rickey,
Philadelphia Inquirer,
16 Nov 2007
fresh:
[Actress Mezzogiorno] finds the story's emotion by resisting the tug of the movie into grandeur.
– Mick LaSalle,
San Francisco Chronicle,
16 Nov 2007
rotten:
Mike Newell's handsome adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez' novel looks lovely, but feels lifeless; the chemistry between the main characters just isn't there.
– Moira MacDonald,
Seattle Times,
16 Nov 2007
fresh:
Sometimes you're watching a bad movie, and you're like, 'Well, I'm still entertained,' so I'm recommending it on that sort of level.