Bon voyage
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: March 19, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
9
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
The story is engrossing, full of thrills and humor, the period re-creation wondrous and the pace intoxicatingly brisk. And the actors are all so good and their parts so well-written that we're engaged emotionally as well. Read full review
91
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Works best of all as an epic. It wonderfully creates a world of fractured deco elegance and endless human duplicity in which everyone is on the run -- exactly the kind of incisive, seemingly effortless historical spectacle that the French have learned to do so much better than Hollywood. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterJudith Prescott
It is a beautifully crafted film with a star-studded cast, directed with a lightness of touch. Read full review
90
VarietyLisa Nesselson
A rousing, well-crafted romp packed with ingenuity, duplicity, close calls and heroic gestures, Bon Voyage is true to its title. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Not long into this most exhilarating and enjoyable of movies, it becomes reminiscent of such vintage jewels as Carol Reed's simultaneously thrilling and amusing "Night Train to Munich." Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This is a grand, confident entertainment, sure of the power of Adjani, Depardieu and the others, and sure of itself. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Blurs the line between comedy and epic drama so adroitly that the two styles fuse into something quite original: a lyrical farce that pays homage to its period in any number of ways. Read full review
80
SalonCharles Taylor
Watching it is a little like stumbling upon a frayed valentine you put away years ago and then laughing with pleasure at how much it still means to you. Read full review
80
EmpireDavid Parkinson
The result is both audaciously amusing and provocatively sophisticated. Read full review
75
USA TodayMike Clark
The filmmaker's new subject, the German occupation of France, has been treated with the seriousness it deserves in countless movies over the past half-century. This treatment is light and breezy for a change, though not altogether frivolous. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
At times, the giddy tone makes it feel like a musical set on the eve of Pearl Harbor, but the acting is uniformly good and it's an absolutely gorgeous film to watch. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
It’s sexy, suspenseful fun, and gorgeous-looking to boot. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Bon Voyage arrives like one of those old soldiers who stumbles from his hiding place unaware that the war is over and the world has changed -- and with it, French cinema. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
This is a film lover's film, and as if to underscore the point, Bon Voyage opens and closes in a movie theater. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
A bit of fluff expertly made and a hoot to watch. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
A high-wire act of storytelling, tone and old-fashioned chutzpah. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
A picture that gallops forward as soon as it breaks out of the gate. Anyone with an open mind and curiosity about history might enjoy it. Read full review
70
The New YorkerDavid Denby
No more than a shallow, style-mad entertainment, but it never flags or loses its balance, and, despite the theatricality of the staging and the acting, it’s precisely the materiality of the cinema--that makes us devour it with pleasure. [29 March 2004, p. 103]
70
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The result is a picture that, moving through political and social chaos, is stubbornly amusing. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
This portrait of 1940 France on the verge of capitulating to the Vichy regime is intriguing. However, what keeps the movie engaging is its nutty tone. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Unfortunately, a little too much pointless running around coupled with the underdevelopment of several key characters results in a movie that's never more than mildly diverting. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
It's well mounted and lushly photographed, and Rappeneau deftly orchestrates the crowd scenes as Parisian elites flock to Bordeaux, but the large cast doesn't mesh. Read full review
60
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Despite this tale's surface sheen and propulsive momentum, it never transports one very far. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverGregory Weinkauf
The stately pacing and meandering plot often reduce this potential classic to generous eye candy. Read full review
50
Village VoiceDavid Ng
Relies on its considerable star power to conceal its even more considerable lack of substance. Read full review
50
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Things move so swiftly and confusingly that there's little time to explore any of the people in depth. Less style and more substance is definitely called for. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
It's just plain exhausting to watch the admirably game cast members running around like headless chickens in chic period clothes, surrendering their dignity to the task of navigating the plot's frenetic contrivances. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Whenever Rappeneau stays close to Adjani, the film briefly soars on her giddy self-absorption--particularly in the first hour, when it hasn't been sullied by misfortune. But ultimately, the big stars are just window dressing for an expensive nothing. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
The result is nothing if not a curiosity piece. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyRon Stringer
The cast's sometimes capable, sometimes gross mugging is overwhelmed by lavish costumes, shiny vintage cars, hordes of meticulously directed extras, and the here-incongruous seriousness with which the French still regard this momentous, if humiliating, chapter of their national history. Read full review
More From This Movie

68 Critic Reviews

7.5 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL