The Caveman's Valentine: Critic Reviews

There is pleasure in giving oneself up to the gusty swirls of the film's imagery, and especially to the handsome grandeur of its star.

Intriguing, visually startling.

Jackson's convincing portrayal of an untethered psyche scrambling for purchase on the slippery slope of sanity and Lemmons's arresting cinematic vision, in which we see the world through the eyes of a man continually descending into ...madness, is enough.

Dramatically speaking, The Caveman's Valentine is a dead end.

Watching the film, it's easy to imagine how a novel might make the unlikely plot machinations less ludicrous.

Loaded down with laughable caricatures and a plot as confused as its protagonist.

Mood -- and of course Jackson's performance -- sustains the movie.

The new film confirms that Lemmons and Jackson are a movie team made in heaven.

Burdened by sloppy plot turns and unbelievable characters.

This is a commercial film with limited ambitions.

Mostly good fun.

The Caveman has lapses of logic, but fewer than you will find in George Dawes Green's improbable script.

Complex and violent movie -- not for kids.

A sophomore jinx for Lemmons, an overstuffed drama that fails to satisfy as a murder mystery or as a spiritual redemption saga of a homeless man, disappointingly played by Samuel Jackson (who was misdirected).

Remember David Helfgott, the concert pianist who goes mad in Shine? Imagine him in dreadlocks and as the star of a detective thriller, and you have a better understanding of The Caveman's Valentine than the people who made it.

Really not much more than an urban Scooby Doo episode, only Shaggy is black and with far more facial hair.

Jackson struggles mightily with a thankless role which has him doing and saying way too many absurd things.

Lemmons creates mesmerizing passages, but she can't bring this one to a fulfilling crescendo.

Samuel L. Jackson is awesome...this movie isn't.

A few great and original developments.

It's unfortunate that all this talent is misplaced on what is, essentially, a contrived mystery.

Though not as brilliant as Eve's Bayou, The Caveman's Valentine represents an admirable sophomore effort, and a terrific showcase for Samuel L. Jackson.

...not enough sustained mystery or suspense for a good crime thriller and not enough unique insights or perceptions for a good character study.

It's a less-than- compelling drama and a much-less- than-compelling murder mystery, and it squanders a first-rate cast.

The film rests squarely on the capable shoulder of Samuel L. Jackson.