StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

e-70733 The mental state of the character and the overall rhythm of the film are synchronized, which is a typical example of the excellent cooperation between the writer, the director and the actor. However, I always feel that it is a bit too utilitarian to deal with such a subject that implies many aspects of the drama conflict into a one-man show. There are still some details in the play that are worthy of repair and enrichment. Fortunately, Assayas used a skillful lens language to create a convincing atmosphere of telling and dispelling the flaws in some scripts.

Paul Magne Haakonsen It was my admiration of Maggie Cheung that initially lead me to "Clean" back in the day around 2004 or 2005. And while I am indeed a fan of her, a big fan, then I must say that "Clean" is not the type of movie that will appeal to everyone in the audience."Clean" is a rather slow-paced movie, and that can be a hindrance for some viewers, because it takes very long for director Olivier Assayas to get the story from A to B.However, if you can overcome the slow pace, then "Clean" is a very deep and impacting movie, because it deals with some pretty heavy issues; which are drug addiction, coming clean, fighting for your family and getting your act together after a rough patch in life. These are all topics that make for an interesting drama, and that is what "Clean" turns out to be.This is a story that is driven mostly by character development and the audience get rather swept up and caught up in the story. And for this I must applaud writer and director Olivier Assayas.Of course, it is no secret that I did enjoy watching the talented Maggie Cheung in this role, especially because it is a role that strays quite far from what she used to do in her acting career. She was carrying the movie quite well with her performance here, and she was well assisted by Nick Nolte in this movie. Actually, Nick Nolte really put on a great performance as well here, and he was quite well-cast for this particular movie.The music in "Clean" is rather diverse, and I bought the soundtrack for it after having seen the movie. The music ranges widely here, and it was also a nice touch to have Maggie Cheung perform songs herself."Clean" is not the type of movie that you can watch over and over within a short time frame. It is suitable for more than just a single viewing, for sure, but with years passing in between each viewing.

Angela Peckham This movie is badly written and well acted, which is a shame because you're interested in the characters right away, and the movie begins as though it's going to be a different sort of drug redemption film, one that might just skate the line between glorification and demonization. Instead, the script loses it's emotional way and falls fast into a four star disappointment. Terrible follow-through. Both maggie cheung and nick nolte provide a fair- enough effort, yet their relationship never picks up any developmental speed. The other characters are quasi-interesting, but probably because we never really find out anything about them. Plus, the little boy didn't get the direction he needed, because he sounds like he's reading lines, to the point that you're embarrassed for the filmmakers that they even attempted the hook, line and cute-kid sinker. And finally, the music should be more than just set dressing in a story so critically dependent on rock credibility. Though i'd admit that there were a couple interesting sequences, i wouldn't recommend a film this weak to anyone. The script doesn't nearly get redeemed by any particular virtue of filmmaking.

film_riot Is it possible to change? This question is a popular starting point for many film scripts all over the world. Mainly in Hollywood the answer has often been yes. As a film fan you maybe start believing this at some point, but I've not come to a final conclusion, whether or not it is possible. I think you can try to change the way you make your choices or you can get more active in taking chances, but you can't change "yourself". In Oliver Assayas' "Clean" this is one of the questions discussed and it confirms my thoughts. Maggie Cheung is fabulous in playing this woman trying to start a new life after her husband passed away through an overdose. When she is faced with the fact, that her son won't even know her when he grows up, she decides to change. And that's one of the facts too: You never change just for the sake of changing, there has to be a strong drive. By the way: Great film by Assayas, great performances by Cheung and Nick Nolte.