Belle
Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: May 2, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
13
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Time Out LondonDave CalhounJun 10, 2014
Sometimes you find yourself wishing for an alternative version of the film unfolding before your eyes. ‘Belle’ is a good-looking and exceedingly polite film where perhaps a more complex one with less good manners would have been better. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJun 10, 2014
Though the inventions of Misan Sagay's script emphasize concerns over dowries and social rank that will be grating for many contemporary viewers, extracting little of the humor that Austen regularly found in such hang-ups, the picture's sour notes are balanced by fine performances and clear historical appeal. Read full review
60
EmpireAngie ErrigoJun 9, 2014
If not a star-making turn, Mbatha-Raw's tough, tender performances should give her plenty of opportunities in sharper fare. Read full review
60
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottMay 23, 2014
Still, it's all enjoyable enough, playing out like a cross between "Pride and Prejudice" and "Amistad" -- and a welcome change of pace for those trying to avoid the radioactive spiders and time-traveling mutants that have otherwise invaded the summer movie season. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyMay 1, 2014
Belle is greatly buoyed by Mbatha-Raw's performance. She infuses Dido with a confident and intelligent grace that keeps you engaged long after the tangled story has let both the actress and audience down. Read full review
60
The DissolveNathan RabinMay 1, 2014
As a period production, Belle is gorgeous, dazzling spectacle, replete with ornate costumes, lovely sets, and in Mbatha-Raw, a striking, charismatic lead. But the film never finds a way to invest its narrative with a sense of urgency. Read full review
60
The GuardianHenry BarnesOct 16, 2013
Amma Asante's second feature tells Dido's extraordinary story in handsome, if formulaic, style. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyMay 10, 2014
This effectively turns a story about race into a story about rank. Read full review
50
Boston GlobePeter KeoughMay 8, 2014
Belle has the pace and sumptuous cinematography of a Merchant and Ivory production, but none of their memorable characters, subtle performances, or literate dialogue. Read full review
50
New York PostLou LumenickApr 30, 2014
If you were wondering what “12 Years a Slave” might have been like as a two-part episode of “Masterpiece Theatre,” you might want to check out this unsatisfying but not uninteresting oddity. It renders another historical story about race with exquisite taste but not much in the way of passion. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineTomas HachardApr 27, 2014
The film is concerned largely with intellectual horrors and portrays the fight against slavery rather neatly as a growing feeling of internal guilt that slowly turns society toward the light. Read full review
40
Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekApr 29, 2014
There's a great story here, but Asante — who has made one previous feature, the 2004 drama A Way of Life — can't quite harness its power. Read full review
40
Time OutJoshua RothkopfApr 29, 2014
Closer to a special episode of "Diff’rent Strokes" than to "12 Years a Slave," the movie seems to exist to give its white characters belated moments of conscience. Read full review
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