Bel Ami
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: June 8, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
42
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
17
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJun 8, 2012
What distinguishes Pattinson in the role is the sense he conveys of someone roiling and churning beneath a surface that is almost, but not quite, calm. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayJun 6, 2012
This new Bel Ami has a lot to recommend it, but it never seems as artful or smart as "Dangerous Liaisons," the film it most resembles. Read full review
65
MovielineMichelle OrangeJun 7, 2012
On the whole Bel Ami is highly watchable. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenJun 7, 2012
Thurman, Meaney and Scott Thomas acquit themselves well, while Ricci's Clotilde is sweet yet posed. Pattinson, who has delivered some strong performances in non-"Twilight" fare, might be exploring the flip side of the Team Edward swoon factor but, finally, his Georges is merely vampiric. Read full review
60
Total FilmJane CrowtherJun 4, 2012
A good-looking yet curiously tame adaptation of a saucy classic that showcases Pattinson's ambition if not his full abilities. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderBen SachsJun 21, 2012
The supposedly cunning protagonist registers as a cipher, and the directors' tendency to shoot dialogue scenes in close-up blunts any understanding of the social milieu he's trying to conquer. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertJun 20, 2012
The surprise for me is Christina Ricci, who I think of as undernourished and nervous, but who flowers here in warm ripeness. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrJun 7, 2012
Robert Pattinson isn't all that bad in Bel Ami. He just isn't right. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineNick SchagerJun 4, 2012
A coherent characterization of Robert Pattinson's striving schemer is nowhere to be found in this pedestrian period piece. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMay 30, 2012
At least the set design and costumes are excellent. The movie feels overstuffed and undercooked but it always looks nice. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 10, 2012
The cast is intriguing, with Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci and Kristin Scott Thomas as the targets of Pattinson's ambitious amour. But they're not given a whole lot to do -- at least not much that's interesting. Read full review
40
The New York TimesStephen HoldenJun 7, 2012
Although this is potentially juicy stuff, it is as dry and tasteless as a shrunken piece of fruit left in the refrigerator far too long. Read full review
40
TimeMary PolsJun 7, 2012
He's neither a fun villain or a secret good guy; the movie feels like a senseless venture because, even with his pants down on top of Clotilde or manhandling Virginie, he's the dullest scoundrel around. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanJun 7, 2012
Though gorgeous to look at, the first feature from Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod has an undeniable void at its very center: an utterly blank leading man. Read full review
40
Time OutKeith UhlichJun 5, 2012
The satire rarely stings, as first-time feature directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod give a polite Masterpiece Theatre gloss to this most impolite of tales. Read full review
40
Village VoiceEric HynesJun 5, 2012
Its the ladies who are worth tracking here, from Ricci's understated sensuality to Thomas's fragile angularity. They've supplemented beauty with good old-fashioned acting chops, something their cover-boy co-star would be wise to emulate. Read full review
40
EmpireOlly RichardsJun 4, 2012
Even with a strong cast to gild its endless chambers and salons, there's barely a spark of soul to fuel its story. Pattinson is no Malkovich either. Read full review
40
The GuardianPeter BradshawJun 4, 2012
Robert Pattinson has to do an awful lot of hollow-eyed smouldering in this hammily enunciated French period drama, taken from the 1885 novel by Guy de Maupassant. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJun 4, 2012
A flavorless literary adaptation sunk by a lead actor, screenwriter and co-directors that are all out of their depth. Read full review
40
VarietyJustin ChangJun 4, 2012
"I had no conception of the depths of your emptiness!" a character shrieks in Bel Ami, and her words take on an unintended resonance as addressed to Robert Pattinson in the lead role. Read full review
38
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJun 8, 2012
It's just that Pattinson's performance is so enervated that his Georges Duroy comes across as something of a cipher. He's not quite alive, yet also clearly not dead, given the amount of sex he has. He's undead, or at least uninteresting. Read full review
38
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeJun 7, 2012
Bel Ami is handsome enough, although the directorial skill runs mostly to careful framing of magnificent bosoms, Pattinson's included. Read full review
38
Rolling StonePeter TraversJun 7, 2012
With that cast, we rightfully expect fireworks. What we get is the film equivalent of a wet blanket. Read full review
38
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaJun 7, 2012
Laughably bad adaptation of a Guy de Maupassant novel. Read full review
25
IndieWireEric KohnJun 5, 2012
Pattinson portrays the monotonous Georges Duroy in two equally dry modes: scowls and smirks. Read full review
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