Volver (2006)
90%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
61 wins & 94 nominations total
Volver catches director Pedro Almodovar and star Penelope Cruz at the peak of their respective powers, in service of a layered, thought-provoking film.
Volver is like a telenovela on steroids, with ghosts, murder, and family drama galore. But don’t let that scare you away, because Pedro Almodóvar’s direction and the performances from Penelope Cruz and Carmen Maura make it a wild ride worth taking. It’s a film that’s both emotionally devastating and visually stunning, with a refreshing story that’s deeper and more intelligent than most Hollywood movies. Plus, who doesn’t love a good tribute to mother love? So grab some popcorn and get ready for a soap-opera that’s anything but conventional.
Production Company(ies)
Zanuck Brown Productions, Universal Pictures,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Almagro, Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some sexual content and language
Year of Release
2007
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):Spanish
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Country of origin:Spain
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Apr 3, 2007
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas, Chus Lampreave, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo, directed by Pedro Almodovar, written by Pedro Almodovar, drama, R rating, Esther Garcia producer, $12.9M box office, reviewed by Alyx Vesey, Stanley Kauffmann, Candice Frederick, Amy Nicholson, Joshua Rothkopf, Roger Moore, Brian Eggert, Leigh Paatsch, Ruhaan Shah, Felicia Feaster, Dorothy Woodend, Spanish language, ghost story, family tragedy, mother-daughter relationship, Madrid, house fire, murder, grief, female empowerment, layered, thought-provoking, visually stunning, emotionally devastating, comedic timing, charming, soap-opera, twists, tribute to mother love, cinematic master, nuanced, beautifully filmed
Worldwide gross: $85,603,363
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $122,632,630
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 925
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 13,373,242
US/Canada gross: $12,899,867
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $18,479,935
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,435
US/Canada opening weekend: $202,000
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $289,379
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,551
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): 7450000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $10,672,631
Production budget ranking: 1,640
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $5,747,212
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $106,212,787
ROI to date (est.): 647%
ROI ranking: 194
Carmen Maura – Abuela Irene
Chus Lampreave – Tía Paula
Lola Dueñas – Sole
Blanca Portillo – Agustina
Yohana Cobo – Paula
Director(s)
Pedro Almodóvar
Writer(s)
Pedro Almodóvar
Producer(s)
Esther García
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
61 wins & 94 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (173) | Top Critics (59) | Fresh (158) | Rotten (15)
As emotionally devastating as it is visually stunning.
January 7, 2021
Alyx Vesey
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
Volver disappoints.
February 6, 2018
Stanley Kauffmann
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
Beautiful performances, a refreshing story, and spot-on comedic timing make this a wonderful movie.
September 12, 2017 | Rating: A
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
It’s up to charm to twinkle our attention away from the loose threads and daytime TV plotting.
July 2, 2009 | Rating: B-
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Even if Volver sounds too high-concept for you, know that Almodóvar is smart enough not to rest on laughs alone, extending his premise to dark, though occasionally tidy psychological territory.
February 3, 2007 | Rating: 4/6
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
It’s clever and entertaining. It’s marvelously deft, but never daffy. It works well enough, despite feeling like the most conventional film this great, envelope-pushing Spanish director has ever made.
January 19, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Beautifully shot, structured, and acted, Almodovar’s film sees the past repeat itself, the dead come back to life, and the painfully concealed return to the fore.
February 12, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
It’s a playful soap-opera, mad with colour and crazy twists. It’s a ghost story that won’t give you the chills. And most importantly of all, it’s yet another fine movie from Spanish master Pedro Almodovar.
July 30, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
The film never minces its words, it unabashedly confronts the challenges women everywhere face.
April 29, 2020
Ruhaan Shah
Film Companion
Almodóvar’s tribute to mother love is overflowing with the anguish and ecstasy of life.
January 28, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Charleston City Paper
The film is, almost by definition, deeper, more intelligent, more nuanced and more beautifully filmed than at least 95 percent of the movies coming out of Hollywood – if not more.
June 18, 2019
Remezcla Team
Remezcla
This is a woman’s picture in the best sense of the term, anchored by bravura turns from Penelope Cruz and Carmen Maura. Something of a departure for the Spanish auteur, it also seals his status as a cinematic master. Never that this was much in doubt.
August 23, 2017
Dorothy Woodend
The Tyee (British Columbia)…
Plot
After a murder and family tragedy, the spirit of a deceased mother materializes to comfort her daughters in Pedro Almodovar’s drama, Volver.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Penélope Cruz stars in Volver, a film that catches her and director Pedro Almodovar at the peak of their respective powers.
Pedro-Almodóvar.jpg
