Advanced Search Beta »
Basic Search Fields
The Tree of Life
The Tree of Life Image
See the trailer
Metascore
87 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 36 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 43 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
Rate this:
  • Starring: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn
  • Summary: The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick's signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life. (Fox Searchlight Pictures) … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    Jun 10, 2011
    100
    The Tree of Life is a religious experience. Overtly. Audaciously. Unashamedly. No film has ever reached as high toward the face of God and, in our commodified future, few are likely to try.
  2. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    Jun 9, 2011
    100
    Still, somehow, The Tree of Life - impressionistic, revelatory, elliptical - works.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    May 27, 2011
    50
    While Malick's great ability holds us for a time, it is finally not enough to compensate for a lack of dramatic involvement - those eschatological quandaries tend to overwhelm the story. The Tree of Life, its enormous advantages notwithstanding, ends up a film that demands to be admired but cannot be easily embraced.

See all 36 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 29
  3. Negative: 12 out of 29
  1. Guilherme2
    10
    Terrence Malick's new feature, "The Tree of Life", is one of the best pictures I have ever seen. It has everything: love, childhood, science, faith, creation of the world, great direction/writing/cinematography/score. It is pure, simple and meaningful. You won't be seeing a better picture this year.… Expand
    • 2 of 2 users said yes
  2. cockaigne
    4
    If you're idea of this movie is watching someone paint for 135 minutes, then dive right in. Granted, it's a beautiful painting, but it's tedious and you'll be relieved when it's finished. Details are irrelevant, this is a 30K feet film that masters students will toil over for generations. I felt like I had to counterbalance the film with some mind-numbing action flick when I was done. It's not that I don't appreciate the art of film, but I would like some semblance of a plot and a little less whispering. Bravo, but no thanks.… Expand
    • 3 of 4 users said yes
  3. brewster
    1
    I do not know quite where to begin. My wife and I are college graduates, she is an attorney and I have done some graduate work. We read about this movie in the Austin paper on Friday because Terry Malick lives here. A lengthy article which only touched on the utter incomprehensibility of this movie. Malick may be a genius in the same way Jackson Pollack was: perhaps once someone tediously explains what you are looking at, you smile, walk away, but still dont get it. If you thought 2001: A Space Odessey was challenging, you are not going to like this. It starts with an overly drawn out Big Bang sequence, contains a dinosaur sequence fresh from Jurrasic Park, and closes with the end of time. I say "closes" because the movie is SO long, you think (and hope) it ends well before it does (several false closes) and then thankfully ends, seemingly five hours later. I wish I were more artistic and etherial and could somehow recommend this movie, which clearly was made for artistic and etherial critics, and those endless Cannes/Sundance/Toronto film festivals for an award. We ordinarily trust Metacritic's critic scores faithfully to attend or not attend movies. This time, ignore them and trust the User Reviews.… Expand
    • 4 of 4 users said yes

See all 29 User Reviews

Trailers

advertisement

Recommended Products

  1. Midnight in Paris

    Midnight in Paris Image

  2. The Hangover Part II

    The Hangover Part II Image

  3. Beginners

    Beginners Image

Current Movie Releases

Full List »
  1. Bridesmaids
    Metascore: 75
  2. Source Code
    Metascore: 74
  3. Super 8
    Metascore: 72
  4. Fast Five
    Metascore: 67
  5. Kung Fu Panda 2
    Metascore: 67
  6. X-Men: First Class
    Metascore: 65
  7. Rio
    Metascore: 63
  8. African Cats
    Metascore: 61
  9. Thor
    Metascore: 58
  10. The Conspirator
    Metascore: 55
  11. Scream 4
    Metascore: 52
  12. Water for Elephants
    Metascore: 52
  13. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
    Metascore: 45
  14. The Hangover Part II
    Metascore: 44
  15. Priest
    Metascore: 41
  16. Something Borrowed
    Metascore: 36
  17. Sucker Punch
    Metascore: 33
  18. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
    Metascore: 31
  19. Hoodwinked Too! Hood VS. Evil
    Metascore: 20
All Current Movies »