Beauty in Trouble
Menemsha Films | Release Date: June 13, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Writer Petr Jarchovsky and director Jan Hrebejk collaborated on the formidable "Up and Down" (2004), and this 2006 feature, which takes its title from a Robert Graves poem, is equally impressive for its mastery, intelligence, and ambition in juggling intricate plot strands and memorable characters. Read full review
90
VarietyEddie Cockrell
Recent history once again intrudes on the present-day lives of working Czechs in the masterful multicharacter drama Beauty in Trouble. Read full review
88
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
What director Jan Hrebejk and writer Petr Jarchovský are talking about is the Czech Republic, ravaged for decades by communism and then left to fend for itself in a world to which it can scarcely adjust. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Consistently inventive and surprising, Beauty in Trouble evokes human nature in all its strengths and weaknesses, contradictions and ambiguities. It is itself a beauty -- rich in imagery, deftly paced and structured. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
No matter how bad you may have it, you'll feel better about your own lot in life after watching the tumultuous sexual flailings of Marcela and Jarda (Brejchová and Luknár), a way, way, way down on their luck Czech couple. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
A subtle, unsparing portrait of families whose fragile dynamics fray under pressure. Its strength lies in the complexity with which the characters are written. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Beauty in Trouble offers a meditation on the legacies of communism and the lure of capitalism, but also on the human need for love, connection and family. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeLeighton Klein
This being a Czech film, drama, comedy, history, and social commentary are served up in equal proportion. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
Director Jan Hrebejk and screenwriter Petr Jarchovsky ("Divided We Fall," "Up and Down") have crafted another well-observed tale, one with no heroes or villains, just people trying to make something of the situations in which they find themselves. And, with a nicely ambiguous ending, it's drama enough. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJeannette Catsoulis
A movie of stark contrasts and zigzagging motives, Beauty in Trouble moves from the golden serenity of a Tuscan villa to the powdery chaos of a Czech garage without sacrificing thematic confidence or nuanced performances. Read full review
70
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Whether they're navigating a recently flooded Prague or the pristine waters of a Tuscan swimming pool, the fiends and angels who populate Beauty in Trouble are like so many scorpions explaining why they sting the fabled frog trying to help them: "It's my nature." Read full review
50
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Will Marcela (wonderful Ana Geislerova) opt for brains or brawn? The answer might surprise you. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyMichelle Orange
Unfortunately, Hrebejk settles for unsatisfying allusions to the Czech experience that never break through the melodrama to make his case with any conviction. Read full review
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