65
Metascore
36 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88PremierePremiereIt's a role that essentially demystifies Brosnan's star persona, and in it he is simply sensational, funnier and more persuasively neurotic than even a devoted fan might expect.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThere's nothing edgy or groundbreaking about The Matador, but it's funny, touching, and ultimately endearing.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversWriter-director Richard Shepard gives Brosnan his meatiest role ever, and he digs in with relish.
- 70Chicago ReaderChicago ReaderIf he'd (Shepard) gone a few notches darker and deeper he might have had a formidable post-cold war thriller. Still, there's much to enjoy in Brosnan's enthusiastic scruffing up of his Bond/Steele image and in Shepard's energetic, if lightweight, direction.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Matador gets a 151-proof tequila shot of sharp comedy from the droll byplay between Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear.
- 70VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonDeftly maneuvering through audacious mood swings and tonal shifts, The Matador emerges as a quirky yet commercial commingling of black comedy, seriocomic psychodrama, heart-tugging sudser and buddy-movie farce.
- 70The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe Matador is brilliantly cast right down to the secondary supporting roles, played by the formidable likes of Dylan Baker and Philip Baker Hall, but it's the leads who really deliver.
- 70SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirUndeniably clever.
- 60Film ThreatFilm ThreatThe Matador has that shiny sheen that quickly fades, yet is still fun while it lasts.
- 60Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonTaking the medium slopes and never venturing into extremities, Shepard gets all of his laughs if not the ironic heart-tugs, and his cast is perfectly in tune. (Davis in comedic-observant mode is funnier than most American actresses in fifth gear.)