The City of Your Final Destination

PG-13

Released Apr 16, 2010

1 hr. 54 min.

Drama

List

39%

57 Reviews

Tomatometer

39%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

An academic (Omar Metwally) goes to Uruguay to persuade the heirs of a deceased author to grant him permission to write the man's biography.

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Critics Consensus

A stellar cast can't elevate this leaden adaptation that, while just as beautiful as anything director James Ivory's made before, comes off as dusty and dry.

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Audience Member

I loved it. I am from Uruguay, and so it had an added quality in my case. I loved how perfectly in character actors acted according to their own provenance. Not a shred of foreign accents and modes, everyone sounded authentic. It is not a fast paced movie ( so what?), but it follows its own needed tempo. Perhaps it is unevenly cast. There is no male figure to even represent a supporting role to Anthony Hopkins. The author's role should have been given to someone at least a bit more charismatic. Of the women, Norma Aleandro is a lot of fun, and so truthful for those of us who grew up with such types. Worth watching.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Give them a break regarding the somewhat talky dialogue and bask in the amazing home architecture (particularly Pete and Adam's Bauhaus dream) and the subtle journey undertaken by Charlotte Gainsborough's face as she stiff upper lips it through falling in love.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Insufferable pretension with generally pallid performances in beautiful landscapes.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

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Audience Member

Yawn. There is a good movie here waiting to be told, but it's not the one that they made. Omar is a horribly stiff and boring protagonist, Caroline is a one-dimensional cardboard miserable ice-queen, Arden is the flighty one who falls in love with anything that says hi, and Deirdre is an obvious mismatched bitch for Omar. This is painfully slow for no reason, from the get-go we know what's going to happen. The real movie waiting to be made is the one about Anthony Hopkins' Adam and his paramour Pete (Hiroyuki Sanada). That is the one I would enjoy. His scenes aren't nearly enough, but Hopkins is the only reason to watch this, and oozes South American relaxation as well as anyone. The 25 year love story between Adam and Pete is the one that interests me. Everyone else I could leave for sure. Nice scenery only takes you so far...but sometimes you're just too lazy to turn it off, and instead you marvel and how it can be bad without being offensive, just a poorly executed idea.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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Audience Member

Mostly unremarkably boring.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Even though this movie was star-studded, I felt that they were the only ones that actually carried this movie through. I felt more connected to the family of characters than the main protagonist. Laura Linney and Anthony Hopkins were, as always, the best components of the film. I felt a little disconnected to Omar and his mission. The plot felt a little corny and tiring after a while. But overall, the film was ok. The cast alone is a reason to watch this film!

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

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James Ivory

Director

Omar Metwally

Omar

Anthony Hopkins

Adam

Laura Linney

Caroline

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Arden

Alexandra Maria Lara

Deirdre

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49%

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Before the Rains

50%

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The White Countess

90%

84%

The Visitor

47%

38%

Hereafter

83%

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Rene Rodriguez

Miami Herald

Rated: 2/4

Jan 31, 2011

Full Review

David Stratton

At the Movies (Australia)

This is a very disappointing film. It lacks life, really.

Rated: 2.5/5

Oct 13, 2010

Full Review

Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

It's not an entirely boring film. After a while, your pulse rate slows and you settle into the landscape. The two-hour running time, however, puts you in acute danger of growing moss.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 11, 2010

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Just like Cameron's book, it is not an easy lecture. We must lend our undivided attention to each word and each whisper. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 20, 2022

Full Review

Felicia Feaster

Charleston City Paper

The City of Your Final Destination lives and dies on the force of its cast. Ivory has assembled a powerhouse, multigenerational group, aided and abetted by a setting with a distinctly theatrical feel.

Jan 22, 2020

Full Review

Laura Hiros

Rincón de cine

... a delight for anyone who likes contemplative cinema, where many times, an image says more than a thousand words. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3/5

Mar 16, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

An academic (Omar Metwally) goes to Uruguay to persuade the heirs of a deceased author to grant him permission to write the man's biography.

Director: James Ivory
Screenwriter: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Distributor: Screen Media Ventures
Production Co: Merchant Ivory Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Partial Nudity)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 16, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 18, 2016

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