The Invisible Circus | Rotten Tomatoes

The Invisible Circus

R

Released Jan 26, 2001

1 hr. 32 min.

Drama

List

22%

63 Reviews

Tomatometer

44%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

After learning that her sister, Faith (Cameron Diaz), has committed suicide in Portugal, Phoebe (Jordana Brewster), an 18-year-old hippie, decides to uproot from her San Francisco home to travel to Europe. Phoebe hopes to discover and experience the life that led to her sister's death by retracing her footsteps, which eventually leads to Wolf (Christopher Eccleston) -- Faith's boyfriend. However, as Phoebe's journey continues, a series of visions of Faith pushes her mind to the brink.

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Critics Consensus

Despite Jordana Brewster's strong performance, The Invisible Circus lacks the necessary dramatic tension to be interesting. Also, the cultural and political contexts of the period are barely explored.

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Test T

I watched this on DVD. It was one of those disks where I kept having to adjust the volume. The next thing I noticed were the pretty European locations. The story develops slowly, so slowly that it struggles to maintain the viewers attention. It's feels like navigating through a fog, unsure of the destination. There's a lot of self reflection and a few flashbacks which only serve to confuse the plot. It's difficult to tell if Phoebe is going insane, or just taking drugs like her sister had. I also find Christopher Eccleston's acting too severe for comfort. He can swing from cool and reflective to ranting maniac in a single sentence which is great when he's playing a crime boss, but not so good here playing Wolf. Summarising, the movie has an eclectic mix of ideas which don't lead to a satisfying conclusion. It's not terrible but it certainly requires patience.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I don't know who keeps giving hippies money to make movies, but I wish they'd stop.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

dave j

Thursday, April 19, 2012 (2001) The Invisible Circus DRAMA MYSTERY Movie's narrator Phoebe (Jordana Brewster) who just can't get over her sister, Faith's (Cameron Diaz)suicide from some European country after being somewhat traumatize over her father's demise and eventually becomes part of a radical group supporting the repressing of the gov't against the US invasion of Vietnam. Phoebe is then being driven to seek out what really happend since she's suspicious for some resolution/ closure, and leaving her mother behind to do it by visiting those exact same places where her sister's been to. Haven't learned anything more than the last time I finished watching it since it was exactly what it was, that it was a suicide without the 'how' and the 'why' which is what this film dwells on and then I stopped caring anymore. Great production values but inspired result. 2 out of 4

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It is the late 1960's and the world is changing - revolution is in the air and freespirited hippy Faith O'Connor (Cameron Diaz) wants to experience life to the full. She leaves her comfortable middle class home and embarks on a reckless voyage of discovery that will take her to Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and finally Portugal. And that is the last time that her family hears from her. Now 6 years later, Faith's younger sister, Phoebe, (Jordana Brewster) decides to follow in her footsteps - retracing each dramatic episode in her life to try and put the puzzle of her disappearance together. But what she uncovers will rock her very existence - who was the sister she thought she knew?...What trouble was she really involved in? And what really happened on that lonely Portuguese cliff? also stars Christopher Eccleston, Blythe Danner, Patrick Bergin, Camilla Belle, Moritz Bleibtreu, Isabelle Pasco and Nikola Obermann. directed by Adam Brooks.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I watched this because it has an odd title and Cameron Diaz in it. Story seemed a light and some scene was totally pointless in regard to her sister's fatal fate. Average.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

1. The book was better. 2. I haven't seen a great performer acting SO HARD against Cameron Diaz's awfulness since "Gangs Of New York." (Jordana Brewster is pretty terrible too, though at least she is beautiful.)

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

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Adam Brooks

Director

Jordana Brewster

Phoebe

Christopher Eccleston

Wolf

Cameron Diaz

Faith

Blythe Danner

Gail

Patrick Bergin

Gene

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Ella Taylor

L.A. Weekly

Picturesque European locations, a mystery whose successive folds will be uncovered by Faith's ex-boyfriend (Christopher Eccleston, in a ratty wig he will have to live down for years), and some heavily psychological sermonizing.

Dec 9, 2002

Full Review

Michael Thomson

BBC.com

A credible portrait of an era, and draws in its tensions and conflicts with quite some power.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 16, 2001

Full Review

Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

Strangely dispassionate and uncommitted for a movie about passionate commitment.

Feb 16, 2001

Full Review

Ellen MacKay

Common Sense Media

Okay for older teens, but nothing special.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 1, 2011

Full Review

MaryAnn Johanson

Flick Filosopher

[A] dreamy and meditative film [about] the disillusioning unfolding of the real, cold, hard world as we grow up.

Nov 19, 2008

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Adam Brooks' film is a total miss, both as a potentially intriguing look into the tumultuous politics of the 1960s and 1970s and as a coming of age of a girl obsessed with her sister's mysterious death

Rated: D

Dec 18, 2006

Full Review

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Synopsis

After learning that her sister, Faith (Cameron Diaz), has committed suicide in Portugal, Phoebe (Jordana Brewster), an 18-year-old hippie, decides to uproot from her San Francisco home to travel to Europe. Phoebe hopes to discover and experience the life that led to her sister's death by retracing her footsteps, which eventually leads to Wolf (Christopher Eccleston) -- Faith's boyfriend. However, as Phoebe's journey continues, a series of visions of Faith pushes her mind to the brink.

Director: Adam Brooks
Executive Producer: Arianna C. Bocco, Tim Van Rellim
Screenwriter: Jennifer Egan, Adam Brooks
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: Industry Entertainment, Nicolas Entertainment, Fine Line Features
Rating: R (Language|Drug Content|Sexuality)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 26, 2001, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $55.4K
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo

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