For the uninitiated, Three Times presents an ideal primer, a condensed K-Tel collection of themes that have consistently reappeared throughout Hou Hsiao-hsien's career.
Comment
04/27/06
Three Times (2006)
86
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:50
Fresh:43
Rotten:7
Average Rating:7.8/10
Consensus: Slowly paced, understated, and exquisitely shot, these are three lovely odes to love and longing.
Theatrical Release:Apr 26, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: The film features three different stories of love and memory through three time periods, 1966, 1911 and 2005. The first, "A Time for Love," hinges on the meeting of soldier boy Chen with pool hall... [More]
Get This Movie
Reviews for Three Times
Hsiao-Hsien reinforces his excellent cinematography with a bold use of music, featuring The Platters' Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, but ultimately the running time could have been halved and he would still have made his point.
08/01/06
A discreetly cosmic, majestic trilogy.
05/13/06
Top CriticClick to read the article
04/23/09
Like all of Hou's films, Three Times is beautifully shot -- a painting come to life. And like most of his movies, it's utterly compelling.
04/28/06
Seen in isolation, the first episode has the most satisfying plot and the last the least. But the film's achievement lies mostly in the beautifully articulated similarities and differences among the three.
06/23/06
Top CriticThree varieties of love: unfulfilled, mercenary, meaningless. All photographed with such visual beauty that watching the movie is like holding your breath so the butterfly won't stir.
06/23/06
Top CriticGreat cinema, pop romance that carries a special charge.
06/22/06
Top CriticLambent
08/30/09
Love is messy, desperate, inconclusive and wonderful -- even for little moments -- in any time. And Hou has done it justice with this new masterpiece.
05/04/06
Hou captures that new couple exuberance in a way few films have, and the climatic moment here is as magical as they come.
10/04/05
Can a film be exquisite and, at the same time, less than one hoped for? This question arose as Three Times unfolded.
05/19/06
Filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien tries to tell three tales of romance during different parts of the 20th and 21st centuries. But he winds up stretching a modestly interesting premise out too long -- over more than two hours.
06/09/06
Starring two of Asia's most handsome performers, Three Times, is as always rich in style and form, but only intermittently involving or emotionally touching
05/30/05
This is a fascinating exercise in utilising style to make subtle psychological and political statements.
08/04/06
Do Hou's films deserve to be seen? Absolutely, if only to end the myth that they're too perfect for this world.
05/03/06
Top CriticIf you are easily lulled into a sensuous rhythm of pure cinematic languor, this will satisfy. If not, you may be banging your head against the back of your seat.
03/01/07
All the magic in the world is in the first section.
04/25/06
A triptych of unrequited romantic tales.
03/17/06
Top CriticThis film was designed to win film festival prizes and leave the regular audiences in the dust.
05/01/06
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
MSN's Year in Review 
Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.
Moviefone's Year End Movie Poll
What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!
Tarantino's Characters
Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds