A Five Star Life
Music Box Films | Release Date: July 18, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Portland OregonianMarc MohanSep 4, 2014
It's not a five star film, but it's no Motel 6 either. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaAug 15, 2014
Filmmaker Maria Sole Tognazzi is going for a quiet, thoughtful character study: a modern woman, sure of herself, but still trying to come to terms with her place in the world. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonJul 18, 2014
A Five Star Life shows something not often seen in American cinema, at least in films that aren’t police procedurals: It shows an ordinary citizen doing her job. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaAug 21, 2014
Granted, all the fine elements don't add up to make the deepest or most compelling film. Instead, it's a series of self-contained scenes that don't always hang together as a whole. But like a good hotel, there are enough comforts to make the stay worthwhile. Read full review
70
The DissolveJen ChaneyJul 16, 2014
A Five Star Life steers away from pat answers and stereotypically Hollywood conclusions, a narrative direction that’s all the more refreshing with a woman in the lead role. But in its second half, Tognazzi’s movie derails as it starts trying to hammer home its points with too much force. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJul 31, 2014
The final destination of A Five Star Life is well worth the wait, but the service is so slow that some viewers may check out early. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenJul 31, 2014
Director Maria Sole Tognazzi gently explores what it means to be unmarried, middle-aged and female. She illuminates a seldom-seen line of work, bathes her flawed characters in affection, and makes points both obvious and astute, soft-pedaling her insights with celebratory travelogue touches. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisAug 7, 2014
All in all, though, A Five Star Life (which was a hit in Italy) remains a hard film to dislike, and many will savor the fabulous locations where Irene arrives as a "mystery guest." Read full review
50
VarietyAndrew BarkerJul 20, 2014
Maria Sole Tognazzi’s ultra-sedate romantic comedy A Five Star Life is full of aesthetic sophistication and luxurious ambiance, but its pleasures are all secondhand, and the whole endeavor is too starved of incident to really stick in the memory. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerJul 18, 2014
Has some clever ideas up its sleeve, but otherwise fails to provoke much interest in the travails of its 40-something central character. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChuck BowenJul 14, 2014
The director diligently keeps her heroine's ego in check, and that's awfully principled of her, but her audience may feel as if they've inadvertently booked a trip with no destination. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleAug 27, 2014
So slow-moving, the narrative takes forever to gain momentum, and when it finally does, it deliberately undercuts it. This either is the most contemplative and sensual kind of pleasure or a well-meaning, finely executed misfire that ultimately drags instead of soars. Read full review
40
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJul 17, 2014
Narratively and emotionally, this weirdly becalmed trifle by Maria Sole Tognazzi ends up almost exactly where it started. Read full review
30
Village VoiceNick SchagerJul 15, 2014
Nice to look at but tedious to endure, A Five Star Life boasts a muted classiness that doesn't mitigate its phoniness. Read full review
More From This Movie

51 Critic Reviews

4.4 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL