Before Sunset
Warner Independent Pictures (WIP) | Release Date: July 2, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
91
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 39 Critic Reviews
Positive:
35
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
This is one of the most wildly romantic movies in ages. Read full review
100
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Summer sequelitis is upon us, but the season is unlikely to bring anything more remarkable than Richard Linklater's sweet, smart, and deeply romantic Before Sunset. Read full review
100
PremiereGlenn Kenny
Yep, this movie is basically a yakfest, but an incredibly fluid and involving one, and if you have any kind of affinity for either of the characters, you’re bound to find the picture a kind of miracle. Read full review
100
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The new film, which unfolds in real time over the course of 80 minutes, is a deeper, darker, altogether more memorable experience. It doesn't extend the characters so much as fulfill them. Read full review
100
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
This is a romance with minimal physical contact and sex--and that's part of what makes it work so well as a love story. Read full review
100
L.A. Weekly
What ultimately makes Before Sunset so special (and maybe the most resonant, least self-conscious “great movie romance” of its era) is its deep-rooted honesty -- the way it takes the bitter with the sweet and somehow leaves us feeling elated. Read full review
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
All told, he's (Linklater) one of today's most versatile American filmmakers, and Before Sunset finds his light shining as brightly as ever. Read full review
100
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
It's great to see an American filmmaker - and a successful one at that - willing to simply train his cameras on the actors and let them, and their characters, come to life. Read full review
100
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Romantic, real and as generous as it is vulnerable, the art of conversation has rarely been so acute, honest and revealing. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
Because Linklater now wears his heart on his sleeve, he has made a film that in its joy, optimism and aesthetic achievement keeps faith with American cinema at its finest. Read full review
100
USA TodayMike Clark
A movie this diminutive can be easily oversold, but we might see it on some year-end best lists. It eats at you, just like renewed love. Read full review
100
Boston GlobeTy Burr
That rose in the desert, a sequel that improves in every way upon its beloved predecessor and a romance that slowly builds a fire from embers thought dead. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Magnificent but somewhat frustrating movie. Read full review
100
New York PostMegan Lehmann
Chance encounters and fated love are the stuff of fairy tales, which is what makes the deliriously romantic sequel Before Sunset a small miracle. Read full review
100
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Although there isn't a single kiss in this love story, it's intensely erotic -- and more to the point, it's not afraid of eroticsm's juicier and more forthright twin, carnality. Read full review
100
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
One of the most perfect endings of any film that comes to mind. Read full review
100
Dallas ObserverGregory Weinkauf
Meandering but reasonably charming. Read full review
100
Portland OregonianKaren Karbo
Hawke is not a brilliant actor, but here he rises to the occasion: Every inch of him registers the weight of this moment. Read full review
100
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
A vibrant emotional epic. Read full review
100
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Although it is technically a sequel, Before Sunset stands perfectly well on its own. In fact, the new movie plays better if you haven't seen the original for a while, so its details have grown appropriately fuzzy. Read full review
100
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The result is a peculiar small gem, a true Linklater gem. The verity of the film, rather than any novelty or twist, keeps us fixed. Read full review
90
The New YorkerDavid Denby
The movie is an O. Henry-like conceit--the slenderness of the initial premise is part of the charm--but the anecdote becomes almost momentous as it goes on. Read full review
90
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
In the spirit of the original, Linklater closes with one of the best endings of its kind since George Romero's "Martin." Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Although the characters and their backstories are carefully thought out, Delpy and Hawke deliver their dialogue as if spontaneous and unmeditated. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
In the midst of summer's cinematic thunder and lightning, this is a rare moment of tranquility. Read full review
88
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
The naturalistic dialogue is a masterful bit of writing, credited to Linklater and his "Sunrise" co-writer Kim Krizan, as well as to the two stars. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The film has the materials for a lifetime project; like the "7-Up" series, this is a conversation that could be returned to every 10 years or so, as Celine and Jesse grow older. Read full review
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
This is a sequel just as intriguing as the original. Read full review
88
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
The ex-lovers' new conversation is stimulating and banal, selfish and broad-minded, affectionate and recriminatory, insightful and obtuse - in short, the kind of dialogue two people might have while pouring out their hearts and poring over their pasts. Read full review
80
Film ThreatPeter Hanson
The sequel is an uninterrupted 80-minute dialogue between two richly imagined and performed characters. Read full review
80
VarietyEddie Cockrell
A savvy sequel that should speak to anyone who's let that one great love slip away. Read full review
80
The New York TimesDana Stevens
The script of Before Sunset is both rambling and self-conscious, and at times it has the self-important sound of clever writing. But though it is sometimes maddening, the movie's prodigious verbiage is also enthralling. Read full review
80
SlateDavid Edelstein
The bad news is that Before Sunset is not as delirious an experience as its predecessor. The good news is that it's wonderful anyway, and in ways that tell us something about our romance with "Before Sunrise." Read full review
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Anything that inspires that many whoops, gasps and groans with only two actors and a few choice words has earned its place at the summertime box office trough. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
There is something uniquely unforgettable in the way Linklater, Hawke and Delpy (equal collaborators on the script) find nuance, art and eroticism in words, spoken and unspoken. The actors shine. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineAngel Cohn
This sweet film is a genuine treat, even if there's little plot, no antic mayhem and its 90-minute running time is mostly consumed by nonstop, sometimes pretentious dialogue. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
It's "My Dinner With Andre" for the relationship generation.
60
EmpireLiz Beardsworth
An intelligent, engagingly honest study of love lost and, just maybe, regained. Read full review
40
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
All foreplay and no climax. Read full review
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