Brideshead Revisited
Miramax Films | Release Date: July 25, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
10
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
The A.V. ClubSam Adams
It's rare to find a work that explores issues of faith without veering into religious fundamentalism or militant atheism, which is reason enough to revisit Brideshead one more time. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
It shifts the focus from Charles and Sebastian's youthful idyll to the stronger, more provocative relationship between Charles and Julia, wherein lies Waugh's concerns with materialism and velvet-gloved dual grip of family and religion. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
It's a great piece of work in a movie that, whatever its failings, deserves to be seen even if you swear undying allegiance to the BBC mini-series. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
You could wish for more, but for that there's still the epic-length miniseries. If you want just two hours of mournful, lovely melodrama of manners, this is a fine choice. Read full review
80
VarietyDennis Harvey
Offers lush and compelling drama drawn from Evelyn Waugh's beloved novel. Purists may blanch at the screenplay's changes to the source material's narrative fine points, but its spirit survives intact. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
The film, a distinctly secular take on Waugh's religiosity, is far more interested in the battle of blind faith vs. rigid unbelief and its devastating effects. Herein, everyone is complicated – by their station, their philosophy, their God – and everyone is complicit. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
There are times when Brideshead Revisited shows its seams. For those with an affinity for this kind of movie - and you know whether this applies to you - Brideshead Revisited is a worthy, although not superior, motion picture. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The one performer who seems at home with the gravity of it all is Emma Thompson. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
The film is plush and passionate and graced with elegant performances. Best is that of Emma Thompson as Brideshead's matriarch, Lady Marchmain, who resembles a cross between Helen Mirren's Queen Elizabeth II and Pope Benedict. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
The saga ultimately lacks the emotional wallop of the TV version. But its clever writing, strong performances and sumptuous production design make for a rich experience nonetheless. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
While elegantly mounted and well acted, the movie is not the equal of the TV production, in part because so much material had to be compressed into such a shorter time. It is also not the equal of the recent film "Atonement," which in an oblique way touches on similar issues. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Overnuanced, a world of delicate cruelty, where most of the wounds take place without breaking the skin or even a sweat. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Often powerful, though presented throughout with British understatement. Read full review
70
NewsweekDavid Ansen
The remarkable thing about Jarrold's movie is how much of the book it manages to capture. Read full review
70
Village VoiceElla Taylor
Though I can imagine Waugh rolling his eyes at the very idea of Brideshead Revisited as "a heartbreaking romantic epic," this remake is, often inadvertently, closer to the novel's spirit than the sepulchral television series, albeit still not half as waggishly Waugh-ish as "Bright Young Things," Stephen Fry's delightfully naughty interpretation of "Vile Bodies." Read full review
70
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
The real question is whether the film moves the "Brideshead" ball down the playing field in any meaningful way since the acclaimed miniseries. And I'd have to say that it doesn't so much advance it as it shrinks it into a golf-ball-size nugget. Read full review
70
NPRBob Mondello
This is a world of dinner jackets and evening gowns, casual jaunts to Venice and Morocco; it's about elegance, style, money and perhaps too heady a mix of drink, religion and intrigue. Read full review
70
TimeRichard Schickel
Brideshead Revisited is untaxing, pleasant enough to watch. But I'm still waiting to be seriously discomfited by it. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Bound to seem, at best, a kind of CliffsNotes guide to the novel's highlights, especially if the casting is not all that inspired. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
The new film seems a little nervous about the religious content; it's more interested in the swoony bits between Charles and Julia. Read full review
63
New York PostKyle Smith
As familiar as the costumes and decoration are, the conflicts are unsettlingly vivid and strange. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
This new Brideshead Revisted, though imperfectly revised, is not entirely regrettable. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
Although it has its involving moments, the watered-down Waugh fails to make any kind of lasting connection. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderAlbert Williams
Julian Jarrold's adaptation of the Evelyn Waugh novel isn't entirely faithful, but it conveys the book's universal themes. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesMark Olsen
That the film is neither a true triumph nor a total disaster makes it somewhat difficult to justify revisiting "Brideshead," apart from the hope it will inspire someone somewhere to pick up the book. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid Wiegand
A very noble movie, which makes it interesting at times, but not often enough. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The film plays fast and loose with the book, until its emotional depths, spiritual conflicts, and Waugh's discreet humor have been wrung out. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Jarrold's reduction of the story is so archetypal that it's indistinguishable from soap opera. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
The world didn't need a superficial big-screen adaptation of a rich, dense book that's about, among many other things, the passage of time. The perplexity is why the film is so lifeless and remote. Read full review
40
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Mr. Goode shows all the charisma of a stalk of boiled asparagus molded into the likeness of Jeremy Irons. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
May feel especially like a statue covered in drapery. Unfortunately, the movie's attempts to steam things up feel about as exciting as an after-dinner mint. Read full review
40
EmpireAngie Errigo
Okay for those who dote on ‘classics illustrated’ in the Merchant Ivory line, but not as fluid as all that. Read full review
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