All The Pretty Horses (film) - Critical Response

Critical Response

Reviews of the film were generally mixed, criticizing it as a poor adaptation of the novel and a dramatically un-involving film. It currently holds a 32% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 99 reviews. The comment of Entertainment Weekly critic Lisa Schwarzbaum was typical: "Faced with a choice of blunt instruments with which to beat a good book into a bad movie, director Billy Bob Thornton chooses heavy, random, arty imagery and a leaden pace." The New York Times reviewer thought the film "as slick and superficial as a Marlboro advertisement" The characters were also derided as undeveloped, and some reviewers considered there to be a lack of chemistry between the lead actors. Roger Ebert, however, disagreed, awarding the film three-and-a-half out of a possible four stars. The film's sweeping visuals (filmed in New Mexico and Texas), however, were consistently praised by all.