Short Cuts
The day-to-day lives of a number of suburban Los Angeles loosely connected residents who cross paths. The role of chance and luck is central to the film, and many of the stories concern death and infidelity.
10 October 1965, Los Angeles, California, USA
3 October 1931, Amarillo, Texas, USA
30 October 1963, Roxbury, Massachusetts, USA
19 August 1955, New York City, New York, USA
1 February 1982, Los Angeles, California, USA
30 December 1942, San Diego, California, USA
1 November 1957, Klein, Texas, USA
25 July 1930, Mitcham, Surrey, England, UK
6 August 1926, East Haven, Connecticut, USA
7 December 1949, Pomona, California, USA
20 April 1934, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
22 July 1940, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
24 August 1949, Bangor, Maine, USA
10 July 1947, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
6 April 1925, Georgia, USA
5 July 1984, Santa Clarita, California, USA
3 March 1955, London, England, UK
February 27, 2008
Cool, clever and complex, Altman succeeds in bringing out the best from a highly talented cast.February 27, 2008
The film is fascinating and complex, and benefits from a densely textured soundtrack that makes it as interesting to listen to as to watch.April 28, 2011
The epidosic (by necessity) movie is uneven, but some of the stories are poignant and the acting always compellingJune 24, 2006
From the exhilarating opening, you know Altman's epic 'adaptation' of eight stories and a poem by Raymond Carver is going to be special.January 22, 2012
We are never made to care much about the afflicted characters because Altman doesn't and thereby the stories carry very little weight.May 20, 2003
The lives are often desperate and the characters inarticulate, but the group portrait is as grandly, sometimes as hilariously, realized as anything the director has ever done.February 27, 2008
As the grand ringmaster, it's here that Altman passes the baton to his actors , whose behavioral insights are critical to the film's success.February 27, 2008
Performances are low key but accomplished, comedy and tragedy are delicately balanced and the whole thing has the feel of a sprawling but very absorbing soap.February 27, 2008
Inevitably it's a mixed bag, though the film's assurance in keeping it all coherent is at times exhilarating.May 12, 2001
Triumphantly fierce, funny, moving and innovative.April 07, 2016
It's a funny/scary vision, with a manic edge -- which is why, when you come down from the high of the filmmaking, you may be left with the taste of ashes in your mouth. Altman's artistry can make you happy even when his art offers cold comfort.