Woman on Top

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Woman on Top

R

Released Sep 22, 2000

1h 25m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

35%

Tomatometer

100 Reviews

42%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Set to the intoxicating rhythms of Brazil, Woman on Top is a spicy, sexy comedy about the magic of food, love and music. Meet Isabella, a sultry enchantress born with the special gift of melting the palates and hearts of men everywhere. When she decides to break free from her rocky marriage and the stifling kitchen of her husband's restaurant in Brazil, she spirits off to San Francisco in pursuit of her dreams of a real culinary career.

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Critics Consensus

Despite Penelope Cruz's beauty and charm, the movie is too tepid to be a romance and too silly to be believable. And the movie is too eager to please with an ending that seems more like a cop out.

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Jane Crowther

BBC.com

Torres' playful and whimsical film is the ideal tonic for the winter blues, bursting with sunshine, fantasy, and mouth-wateringly fiery food.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 16, 2001

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Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

You know it's working when it makes everything in it look good enough to eat, including the San Francisco transit system.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

John Hartl

Seattle Times

Benicio and Cruz (who displays more cleavage than kitchen skills) can coast only so long on their physical appeal; their skin-deep characters quickly wear out their welcome.

Jan 1, 2000

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Jan Stuart

The Advocate

Torres directs it all with the requisite Doris Day sparkle and fizz, plus a heady dose of samba and scenery.

Apr 5, 2022

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...an exceedingly lighthearted romantic comedy that never quite manages to achieve liftoff...

Rated: 2/4

Nov 25, 2020

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B. Ruby Rich

San Francisco Bay Guardian

Shut off the analytic sector of your brain, and the rest of you can, have a thoroughly pleasant night out at the movie theater.

Feb 26, 2020

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Horror fan 4

Penelope Cruz is the only standout in this movie. The story is cheesy and predictable.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/29/24

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Thomas W

only thing anygood is penélope cruz.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/29/23

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Audience Member

Started well and the premise seemed cool but the supernatural/magic bits kinda eeeeh not for me. Too much singing and music and at times seemed a bit of... fetishising cooking and some cultural aspects. A bit of a disappointment

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

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Audience Member

I personally love the movie!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

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Audience Member

The term 'magical realism' is usually an oxymoron. Here? Just a moron.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

***Due to the recent RT changes that have basically ruined my past reviews, I am mostly only giving a rating rather than a full review.***

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

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Fina Torres

Director

Penélope Cruz

Isabella Oliveira

Murilo Benício

Toninho Oliveira

Harold Perrineau

Monica Jones

Mark Feuerstein

Cliff Lloyd

John de Lancie

Alex Reeves

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Synopsis

Set to the intoxicating rhythms of Brazil, Woman on Top is a spicy, sexy comedy about the magic of food, love and music. Meet Isabella, a sultry enchantress born with the special gift of melting the palates and hearts of men everywhere. When she decides to break free from her rocky marriage and the stifling kitchen of her husband's restaurant in Brazil, she spirits off to San Francisco in pursuit of her dreams of a real culinary career.

Director: Fina Torres
Screenwriter: Vera Blasi
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: Fox Searchlight
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 22, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.0M
Runtime: 1h 25m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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