A clever conceit that works in some sequences, mostly those involving Keener, and less well in others, mostly those involving Roberts and Underwood.
Comment
08/01/02
Full Frontal (2002)
37
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:139
Fresh:51
Rotten:88
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: An confusing movie made worse by the poor camera work.
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Director Steven Soderbergh follows up his highly impressive string of big budget smashes (ERIN BROCKOVICH, TRAFFIC, OCEAN'S ELEVEN) with this self-proclaimed "companion piece" to 1989's hugely... [More]
Starring: Julia Roberts, Blair Underwood, Catherine Keener, David Duchovny
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Reviews for Full Frontal
There is something in Full Frontal, I guess, about artifice and acting and how it distorts reality for people who make movies and watch them, but like most movie riddles, it works only if you have an interest in the characters you see.
08/01/02
You get the impression that the cast/crew screening will generate more laughs and raves than one attended by regular folks who have to do their own hair and makeup every day.
08/01/02
Full Frontal, which opens today nationwide, could almost be classified as a movie-industry satire, but it lacks the generous inclusiveness that is the genre's definitive, if disingenuous, feature.
08/01/02
Top CriticLike the proverbial emperor, Full Frontal has no clothes.
08/01/02
When a set of pre-shooting guidelines a director came up with for his actors turns out to be cleverer, better written and of considerable more interest than the finished film, that's a bad sign. A very bad sign.
08/01/02
Top CriticInsane hilarity... the cast has plenty of fun chewing the scenery
08/01/02
This is Roberts' first genuine flop in years. Forget she made the film and give a pass.
08/01/02
Several of Steven Soderbergh's earlier films were hailed as the works of an artist. Sadly, Full Frontal plays like the work of a dilettante.
08/01/02
Reasonably entertaining, until you realize that Soderbergh doesn't have much more on his mind than some not-very-revealing observations about Tinsel Town artifice.
08/01/02
It's a letdown to see the eclectic Soderbergh repeating himself, especially when it's not an encore of his best work.
08/01/02
If Soderbergh's name weren't attached to this project, I'd swear it was by some recent film-school grad who hadn't progressed beyond Navel Gazing 101.
08/01/02
Technically flawed and poorly written.
08/01/02
A brilliant gag at the expense of those who paid for it and those who pay to see it.
08/01/02
What's surprising about Full Frontal is that despite its overt self-awareness, parts of the movie still manage to break past the artifice and thoroughly engage you.
08/01/02
Fragmented, elliptical and overplotted to the point of being hard to track. Still, it's worth hanging in for the finish ... [when] Soderbergh pulls off a delicious trick, a gesture of pure, tender, unabashed movie love that makes up for everything.
08/01/02
An impenetrable and insufferable ball of pseudo-philosophic twaddle.
08/01/02
Meaningless, infantile and grotesquely self-indulgent.
08/01/02
A weird little movie that's amusing enough while you watch it, offering fine acting moments and pungent insights into modern L.A.'s show-biz and media subcultures. But it doesn't leave you with much.
08/01/02
Smart, fun, intricate and full of itself in a wonderful way.
08/01/02
Latest News for Full Frontal
July 20, 2007:
Catalina Sandina Morena Joins Soderbergh's Che Films
Did you know that Steven Soderbergh was making a movie about Che Guevara? Starring Benicio Del Toro in the title role? Yeah, me too. But somehow I missed the news that he was... More...
June 21, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Frequent background funnyman Steve Carell has stolen scenes in "Anchorman," "Bruce Almighty," and "Bewitched" -- which means it's high time the guy... More...
July 24, 2002:
Click here for Preview 
More...
February 06, 2002:
Without the distractions of big-budget moviemaking, Soderbergh could focus intensely on dramatic work with his actors, which is fitting for such a dramatically intense movie.
More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds