Rating: 
Summary: look carefully
Review: ....this is a granite-colored gem, more beautiful for what it lacks than for what it has.
It lacks, for one thing, that amber-colored lens that so many filmmakers use, the one that colors the world in bright jewel tones and lush greens. It lacks Spielberg-esque background music telling you how to feel. It lacks glamour, fairy tales and phoniness.
Phoebe goes to Europe to track Faith's footsteps. There is no aerial view of the Eiffel Tower with accordions playing La Vie En Rose. There are no cutesy Europeans plying her with their wares, no breathtaking, overphotographed landmarks. She is alone in the dingy, drab, real colors of the real Europe. She finds out that Faith wasn't what she thought. She finds out that she, Phoebe, is OK after all. Not an atom-splitting moment; just an everyday kind of epiphany, wrenching nonetheless.
Pay attention to the ending, if you didn't the first time. It's like a period at the end of a sentence.
This film didn't insult my intelligence or my attention span. It was really quite refreshing. And haunting.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie!
Review: Cameron Diaz is simply fantastic in her role, she's so convincing!
The story is interessing a you stay captivated during the full one and a half hours!
Buy this movie, even if you don't like Cameron Diaz (which is impossible)
Rating: 
Summary: A Generation Gap Examined...
Review: I find this film fascinating for its subtext. It begins with a San Francisco family torn apart: A father's untimely death and his eldest daughter's demise in some far off part of Europe during the politically charged 1960s. Left behind are the mother and youngest daughter. When the daughter wants to answer the lingering questions she has about her big sib, she sets out to trace the path that her sister took, and to find out what she could about the events. Of course, she is cautioned every step of the way, first by her mom, then by her sister's long time beau, who very reluctantly and uncomfortably begins to recount the story of their excursion across the continent and their involvement with the "peace movement," and what he knew about his lover's death. The "Generation Gap" I refer here is the elder "Baby Boom" daughter, played by Cameron Diaz, and her "do anything" free spirited ways, and her kid sis, portrayed in a very reserved performance by Jordana Brewster, who demonstrates how a few years can make a big difference in how you get treated. Here, seemingly trapped in her existence, she plays the part of a bird trying to find her way out of the cage she has been locked in for her life, and trying to get some answers from a world that seems intent on "protecting" her. This isn't an action picture. I wouldn't even consider it a road picture, even though it takes place in Amsterdam, Paris and Portugal, beautiful locations all. But it is a psychological drama, about putting people's actions into a context, be it historical or just understandable. If you're born between the late 50s to the mid 70s, this film just might strike an important chord with you. Wonderful performances from Diaz, Brewster, and Christopher Eccleston as the former boyfiend who plays tour guide to both Europe and his ex's final days. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: wasted talent & wasted opportunities
Review: I haven't read the book on which 'Invisible Circus' is based but I'm sure it'd have to be better than this movie. Which is a great shame because it had all the possiblities of being something really interesting. It boasted several decent actors and an interesting storyline with lots of potential but what happened? Was it the weak script, visionless direction, or the highly unlikely & totally unbelievable premise? (which had to do with the 'free spirited' (read: lightweight) character Cameron Diaz played flirting with new found German friends - sorry I can't expand on this as I don't want to give away any aspects of the plot here.)
Blythe Danner was excellent in her small role as the mother. Cameron Diaz seemed committed and very energetic in her supporting role (read: miniscule), we just didn't see enough of her on the screen. Note that Diaz is billed as having a starring role.
Unfortunately, although she seemed to be trying hard, (yes, you could see her trying so hard to be convincing) Jordana Brewster, as the main character just could not carry this film. At times Brewster lacked energy & that other essential element 'charisma'. She just seemed miscast. But this may have been because she realized this was not going to be a great movie and she was worn out from the effort of pushing on when all was lost!
Christopher Eccleston (what were you doing in this movie? I'm sure you must have had a moment of madness!) seemed to put in a fair effort under the unfortunate circumstances but any angst expressed in this role by him was probably related to the direction the movie was taking... and the wig-maker. It seemed that he wasn't convinced of the merits of the script but it was just all too late and the show had to go on.
Anyway, what I want to know is who was the casting director on this movie? He/She should never work again. For the amount of time they appear on-screen together, there was 'zero' chemistry between Eccleston and Brewster, both actors seemed to be acting in different movies, and frankly, both looked like they wished they were on different planets- as far away from eachother as possible! At least the few scenes between Eccleston & Diaz had a bit more spark and both actors showed some enthusiasm. It's a real pity that Diaz wasn't in the main role. In fact Brewster, who has less of a 'lightweight' presence than Diaz, would probably have been more convincing in Diaz's role.
Anyway, I'm sure the actors in this movie have already deleted it from their C.Vs & wish they could forget all about it. One of the actors has been quoted as refering to this movie as 'Invisible Purpose' and a movie they should never have done. So on that recommendation view at your own risk.
Personally, I could only recommend this movie to die hard fans of the actors involved but Diaz fans be warned, her role is only a supporting one. It's a real pity this wasn't a better movie as the story really offered so many possibilites to the film-makers besides a soul-less journey through a handful of picturesque European locales.
Rating:
Summary: A thought provoking film
Review: I rented The Invisible Circus, thinking that I would be renting a sob-fest type of movie. Instead, I discovered a wonderful drama, during which I never cried. The movie revolves around Phoebe (Jordana Brewster) who's older sister, Faith (Cameron Diaz)commited suicide on the cliffs of a small town in Poturgal. Intent on discovering why she did this, Phoebe retraces Faith's journey through Europe, and on the way meets Faith's old boyfrend Wolf. One could say that this is a self-discovery movie. Haunted by her sister's death, Phoebe constantly thinks that she will return, but in the end learns to let go. It was nice to see Cameron do something else than the cute, ditzy blonde girl routine and I was pleasently surprised by Jordana Brewster. With breathtaking views of Paris, Berlin, and Potugal, I encourage you to rent this film.
Rating: 
Summary: The Invisible Circus
Review: I think "The Invisible Circus" was a good movie, but it could've been better. Here are the facts: Phoebe(Jordana Brewster) is an eighteen year old living in San Francisco in 1976 with her mother(Blythe Danner). Her father(Patrick Bergin) died of leukemia nine years before, and her sister Faith(Cameron Diaz) killed herself six years before in Portugal. Phoebe never got over Faith's death, so she decides to go to Europe to find out what happened to Faith during her year in Europe. Phoebe uses the postcards Faith sent as a map, going everywhere Faith went(Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and Portugal).
In Paris, she finds Wolf(Christopher Eccleston), Faith's ex-boyfriend. Wolf hasn't gotten over Faith's death either, despite the fact he's about to marry another woman(Isabella Pasco). With Wolf's help, Phoebe learns what happened to Faith and why she killed herself, and Phoebe finally moves on. The performances were good enough, and the movie was somewhat interesting. Overall- 5.5/10
Rating:
Summary: The Invisible Circus
Review: I think "The Invisible Circus" was a good movie, but it could've been better. Here are the facts: Phoebe(Jordana Brewster) is an eighteen year old living in San Francisco in 1976 with her mother(Blythe Danner). Her father(Patrick Bergin) died of leukemia nine years before, and her sister Faith(Cameron Diaz) killed herself six years before in Portugal. Phoebe never got over Faith's death, so she decides to go to Europe to find out what happened to Faith during her year in Europe. Phoebe uses the postcards Faith sent as a map, going everywhere Faith went(Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and Portugal).
In Paris, she finds Wolf(Christopher Eccleston), Faith's ex-boyfriend. Wolf hasn't gotten over Faith's death either, despite the fact he's about to marry another woman(Isabella Pasco). With Wolf's help, Phoebe learns what happened to Faith and why she killed herself, and Phoebe finally moves on. The performances were good enough, and the movie was somewhat interesting. Overall- 5.5/10
Rating: 
Summary: Awful
Review: Not only is "The Invisible Circus" one of the most pretentious movies in recent years, it is also one of the most incompetent. It plays like an art-house version of NBC's "The 60s" mini-series, which itself was very shallow. This movie takes a variety of hippie cliches right out of "Hair" and mixes them in with elements of J.D. Salinger and Sylvia Plath (without the depth). The plot is your typical troubled youth-longs-to-find-purpose-in-this-Godforsaken world. This time, however, we have TWO troubled youths who happen to be sisters. Cameron Diaz, who is arguably the most appealling and accomplished movie starlette of her generation, does not have a part to sink her teeth into here. She more or less copies Robin Wright's performance from "Forrest Gump". Jordana Brewster plays her younger sister who has naively worshipped Diaz since her apparant suicide in Portugal. Neither of these characters do much other than hallucinate and mope about, all disguised as a "looking for meaning" trip (in every sense of the world). Isn't it about time for a director to make a film about the 60s with three-dimensional characters and a plot we can care about? It certainly isn't this recycled tripe!
Rating:
Summary: Superb! A cut above.
Review: Other reviewers are calling this wasted talent, but I tought this was one of the best films of 2001. A vivid, multi-layered retelling of a young woman's (Diaz) final days as discovered by her sister, played by Jordana Brewster (from "The Fast & the Furious" and "The Faculty"). Defenitly worth checking out!
Rating:
Summary: the visible and the invisible
Review: overall, i'd have to say i prefer this film 10 times over something like the fast and the furious or training day which in my book were both complete wastes of time spent which cant be recovered ever again. cameron diaz is truly an amazing actress but i didnt feel they gave her enough to truly play with here although i will admit she was quite impressive in the bits she did play. jordana brewster is not necessarily a bad actress but i dare say she doesnt have the umph to give this film what it really needs. aside from these facts, the film storyline is fairly entertaining and rather intriguing as you never know from one minute to the next exactly what to expect. circus tends to drag when cameron diaz is off the screen. i, myself, never knew whether i was going to end up crying or biting my nails from a layer of suspense. although the slipcover advertises this film as a drama,i say there is a degree of suspense and mystery here which does wrap itself up rather neatly in the end. whether or not you like the story or its ending, i say adam brooks did a relatively decent job here and i would watch more of his films in the future.if you like this, you might try virgin suicides or limbo.
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