48
Metascore
28 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonHas an intoxicating, old-fashioned feel about it. We are instantly lost in the period, thanks to cinematographer Dion Beebe's almost haloed images and Joseph Bennett's authentic, restrained production design.
- 75USA TodayClaudia PuigUSA TodayClaudia PuigDisplays so much promise with its beautiful cinematography and superb portrayal by Cate Blanchett that you scarcely notice (or even care) that the story is a bit thin.
- 60Film ThreatMichael DequinaFilm ThreatMichael DequinaThe radiant Blanchett makes Charlotte's individual journey from lovelorn lady to independent woman believable and involving, and that's ultimately what counts the most -- even if the destination is less than ideal.
- 50Philadelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyPhiladelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyNot a movie, it's a museum catalog of gorgeously rendered portraits and landscapes. What a crashing disappointment.
- 50Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumA frustratingly inert story, a bookend to last year's wooden ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin.''
- 50TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxArmstrong is fortunate to have the luminous Blanchett, who, along with her equally fine supporting cast, helps compensate for what the film lacks.
- 40VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyA bland and dour screen version of Sebastian Faulks' highly engrossing bestseller.
- 40Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumI never thought that a thoughtful director like Gillian Armstrong would get trapped in such Euro-nonsense, but I guess there's a first time for everything.
- 38New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickIt isn't as ridiculous as this year's other version of a local best seller set during WWII ("Captain Corelli's Mandolin"), but it's arguably even less entertaining.
- 30The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenThe movie works so diligently to convey a spirit of heroic uplift and fails so completely that it feels like a tragic misfire.