Before Sunrise
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: January 27, 1995 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
79
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Before Sunrise speaks as much to the mind as to the heart, and much of what it says is likely to strike a responsive chord -- a rare and special accomplishment for any motion picture. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
It's a lovely and wistful celebration of youth, time and moments of connection -- and about the experience of living in the midst of a simple, perfect day that you know you'll remember for the rest of your life. Read full review
100
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Christopher Harris
Before Sunrise is a film that first startles you with its simplicity, then bowls you over with its complexity. Read full review
100
The GuardianPeter Bradshaw
Not a romcom, not a romantic drama, but just … a romance, a brief encounter on a train without heartache, a strange and wonderful moment-by-moment miracle that never seems cloying or absurd. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
If Linklater goes to a bit of an extreme here, it's in making both characters so intelligent and sincere, so ardent and giving, that they seem a little too good to believe. Read full review
90
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Richard Linklater goes Hollywood (1995) -- triumphantly and with an overall intelligence, sweetness, and romantic simplicity that reminds me of wartime weepies like The Clock. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Watching and listening to these two is a charming experience; their conversation has the ring of veracity, and rarely does the viewer's interest stray. Read full review
80
Washington PostHal Hinson
Though Linklater allows the movie to wander, he never allows the pace to slacken, and more often than not he finds some unexpected bit of found poetry or cultural kitsch to make the digressions worthwhile. Read full review
80
EmpireIan Nathan
The overall effect is too intelligent to be soppy and too damn good to be ignored. Read full review
80
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
The charm -- the midsummer enchantment -- never feels forced; it steals up and wins you. A true romance. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Before Sunrise is so much like real life - like a documentary with an invisible camera - that I found myself remembering real conversations I had experienced with more or less the same words. Read full review
75
San Francisco ExaminerBarbara Shulgasser
Delpy and Hawke begin to grow on you and Linklater and his actors achieve a point midway through the film when the characters are so attractive and smart and emotionally daring that you'll be happy to spend the night with them. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are attractive stars, but what's most appealing about the picture is the value it puts on sharing ideas and feelings through language. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
What Mr. Linklater does best here is to come up with conversational gambits that have just the right fancifulness to suit this situation. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesPeter Rainer
There's nothing much to the movie, except for the amiability of the actors and the layers of feeling Linklater provides, but that's just almost enough. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineStaff(Not credited)
The weight of the film rests on the shoulders of Hawke and Delpy, and they're both remarkable. Read full review
60
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Sunrise feels more like an absorbing experiment than a supple success. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
If his first two films were about emotional mutes, then Before Sunrise is the tale of two kids who won't shut the hell up. Read full review
60
VarietyTodd McCarthy
While pic remains sympathetic and appealing, the endless dialogue and repetitive settings become wearing through the couple's one long night together, and the artifice of the premise may contribute to the difficulty the film has in coming to romantic life. Read full review
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