Ketrivie
It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.
FirstWitch
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
Sabah Hensley
This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
Marva-nova
Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
classicsoncall
If you go in expecting a coherent story line or some connecting thread among the five vignettes presented, you'll probably be disappointed. What I got out of the picture was the sense that throughout the world, people of different backgrounds and nationalities are all subject to similar kinds of human frailties and foibles, no matter if one lives in Los Angeles, Paris or Helsinki. The other two cities rounding out this peek around-the-world at a particular point in time are Rome and New York City. Some of the situations are rather bizarre, but to my mind, the most hilarious character in the picture was portrayed by Roberto Benigni as the cab driver in Rome. In a moment of reflection, he decides he must tell his confession to a priest who becomes his fare, and proceeds to drive the man into an unintended heart attack when he loses control of his medication. Perhaps the most poignant story is the last one in which a cabbie takes on three inebriated passengers and winds up relating a personal story that adds an unexpected perspective to their own unfortunate circumstances. All five of the unrelated tales have a way of making one think about how it would feel to walk in someone else's shoes, and perhaps, just how fortunate one is compared to the problems of the next person.
Benedito Dias Rodrigues
The genius of Jarmusch strkes again,but for all five segments just two worthwhile at all,the first one in LA Winona and Rowland is a peace of crap,the second one in New York lifted the degree but still low standard for a Jarmusch's level,in Paris is great really,all french people on bad temper as always and forever,the night in Rome is the best one,Benigni and the priest in some kind of christian confession is outrageous funny,dirty sins are too much for the religious man who had a heart attack,the last one is enough funny only!!!Resume:First watch: 1999 / How many: 2 / Source: Cable-TV-DVD / Rating: 7.5
GeneSiskel
Jim Jarmusch is an acquired taste, at best. This 1991 movie, which was produced, directed, and written by Jarmusch, is slow, self-indulgent, and horribly scripted. Five scenes, in five dark cities, play out at night. These are taxi scenes, but take it from me, folks: I have driven a taxi in two cities, only one of them dark, and every night that I drove I returned home with at least one story to relate that was better than these. It is painful to watch Gina Rowlands or Winona Ryder, for example, deliver lines that make them look like beginning actors. Only Roberto Benigni, who probably wrote his own comic bit, sustains any interest. Enjoy another film.
billcr12
Jim Jarmusch directs five distinct taxi rides from different cities around the world. The first is set in Los Angeles with Wynona Ryder as the driver and Gena Rowland's as a Hollywood exec looking for an actress for role in a film. She feels that Ryder would be perfect for it so Ryder must make that decision.The second ride is in New York City with a German immigrant who picks up Yo Yo and his sister in law, Rosie Perez and they show him the highlights of Brooklyn.Number three is in Paris with a blind French passenger being driven by an African driver. They try to communicate but there is a big language and cultural barrier.Number four is in Rome with the cabbie picking up a priest and confessing all kinds of crazy sexual sins. This is the funniest segment of the bunch.The fifth and final one in set in Helsinki. Three drunken passengers who have been laid off from their jobs take a ride and describe their problems to the driver.Night on Earth is a charming vignette with music by Tom Waits.