Synopsis
28-year-old Kansas University doctoral student Omar Razaghi wins a grant to write a biography of Latin American writer Jules Gund. Omar must get through to three people who were close to Gund – his brother, widow, and younger mistress – so he can get authorization to write the biography.
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Cast
- Omar MetwallyOmar Razaghi
- Anthony HopkinsAdam Gund
- Laura LinneyCaroline Gund
- Charlotte GainsbourgArden Langdon
- Alexandra Maria LaraDeirdre Rothemund
- Hiroyuki SanadaPete
- Norma AleandroMrs. Van Euwen
- Nicholas BlandulloYoung Adam
- Sofía ViruboffAdam's Mother
- Norma ArgentinaAlma
Recommendations
- 88
Observer
Every complex member of the writer’s legacy has an agenda, with varying gains and losses, and the power of the film rests in the way it captures so many tangled lives as they cross and intersect at curious angles. The camera is literal, so the film sometimes fails to escape its roots of literary inspiration. This did not bother me. How many times do you get the chance to curl up with a good movie? - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
Its appeal naturally will be to book-reading audiences who appreciate films with well-written dialogue, a tony cast, lush visuals and the triumph of civilized values. - 70
Boxoffice Magazine
Performances are generally first-rate with Hopkins exhibiting an ease and laid-back approach that serves Adam perfectly. - 70
The New York Times
Besides Ms. Linney’s excellent performance and Mr. Hopkins’s good one, the best things about the movie are its sensuous cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe (“Talk to Her,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”) and a gorgeous soundtrack. - 60
Village Voice
Best is Linney, conquering scenes as the acrid and touching Caroline, her regal bitterness a shield against nostalgia, dressed Park Avenue posh to drink alone. - 58
Entertainment Weekly
Lovely to look at -- and languid to the point of stultifying torpor, as interesting characters make speeches to one another about life, love, and literature. - 55
NPR
The City of Your Final Destination does eventually prove intelligent enough about how we all become prisoners of dependency and obsession. Yet for a movie that argues for free agency and following your bliss rather than your career, it's awfully torpid. - 50
Variety
Languid, multi-accented adaptation of the contempo novel by Peter Cameron suffers from an unfocused screenplay and direction.
