Carol
Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: November 20, 2015
7.9
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 695 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
561
Mixed:
71
Negative:
63
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
8
ItsmayaFeb 18, 2021
This film just gets to you, you get so invested in the characters and in the story, and it all feel very natural and real.
The soundtrack is amazing as well!
I'm really recommending this film and I think it is just great, good cast with anThis film just gets to you, you get so invested in the characters and in the story, and it all feel very natural and real.
The soundtrack is amazing as well!
I'm really recommending this film and I think it is just great, good cast with an incredible chemistry all wrapped up with a touching story!… Expand
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9
HabibiehakimJul 9, 2022
Carol is one of the most simplest beautifully well done film that fills with a very simple story supportively played by the supporting cast, and strengthenly played by the main cast that was incredibly perform by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.
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10
Kiryu25Sep 11, 2022
Gorgeous production values but not much depth, other than in depicting the potentially devastating homophobia of the times - which of course is no small thing.
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5
kino_avantgardeDec 8, 2022
It is a film that is neither deep enough to be praised nor shallow enough to deserve unfair knocking. While the presence of Cate Blanchett adds value to the film, she shows a bit too much in the foreground, which reduces the depth I believe.It is a film that is neither deep enough to be praised nor shallow enough to deserve unfair knocking. While the presence of Cate Blanchett adds value to the film, she shows a bit too much in the foreground, which reduces the depth I believe.

It has been stated that smoking is used as an element of nonverbal communication rather than a masculine symbol. Carol smokes when she is self-confident or she wants to impress someone else. Likewise when she is very tense and distressed. Yet not when she is very happy, calm and content; eg in the car, restaurant, motel / hotel. It is observed that she did not smokes for a long time until she had to return home.

Maybe the book is more impressive, so the movie may have fallen short of expectations. However, for a movie that made such a big impact (77 wins & 255 nomination), it could have been so much better in my opinion.… Expand
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10
NamKhungTranh85Jul 18, 2023
Nam Khung Tranh là cong ty chuyen san xuat cac loai canvas treo tuong trang guong theo yeu cau tranh cavas treo tuong,tranh trang guong tai tphcm thanh pho ho chi minh ban dang co nhu cau mua tranh trang tri van phong phong phong khach,phongNam Khung Tranh là cong ty chuyen san xuat cac loai canvas treo tuong trang guong theo yeu cau tranh cavas treo tuong,tranh trang guong tai tphcm thanh pho ho chi minh ban dang co nhu cau mua tranh trang tri van phong phong phong khach,phong ngu hay tham khao nam khung tranh nhe chung minh co rat nhieu tranh theo chu de khac nhau nhu phong canh nghe thuat chuyen san xuat theo yeu cau cua khach hang quy trinh bao gia don gian
https://namkhungtranh.com/… Expand
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5
rmurray847Aug 10, 2023
I'm a big fan of Cate Blanchett, and have loved her in almost everything she does. Her ability to make a low-key character as credible as a high-energy character. Or to make a working class woman as believable as a wealthy and powerful women.I'm a big fan of Cate Blanchett, and have loved her in almost everything she does. Her ability to make a low-key character as credible as a high-energy character. Or to make a working class woman as believable as a wealthy and powerful women. She's great in pretty much anything, and I've bought movies knowing nothing about them except that they starred Cate Blanchett.

I don't care for her too much in CAROL, and in fact, I don't care much for the film. I can accept a film that is quiet, where passions are banked and never allowed to burst into full flame (or at least, not often). But I don't actually want to be lulled to sleep by the film. But there are long stretches that are infuriating because they are a) slow paced & b) there doesn't really seem to be anything happening in the inner-lives of the characters either. CAROL takes the concept of meaningful glances or the exchange of smoldering looks to a degree where sometimes it feels that this is all the film is really about.

Blanchett plays a bored wife (Carol) of a well-to-do man (Kyle Chandler) who is under something resembling occasional house-arrest for a "romance" she had with an old female friend (Sarah Paulsen). Essentially, she had an affair, one exacerbated by the fact that it took place with a woman (oh, did I mention, this is the early '50s). On one of her rare trips "into the city", Carol shops in the toy department of a big department store, and exchanges glances with the shopgirl (Rooney Mara) who helps her decide on a gift for her daughter. The scene clearly must mean something, because it goes on for a long time. Yet I never felt any passion stirring or smoldering or any HEAT. But Mara is clearly stricken by Blanchett, and when she realizes the lady has left a personal item behind on accident, she sends it back to Carol, and this small kindness leads to Mara spending more and more time with Carol. Apparently, they have the hots for each other, but we sure don't see it for the LOOONGEST time!

I get it...in the '50s, feelings of desire for the same-sex were, shall we say, frowned upon and needed to be kept carefully hidden. But CAROL fumbles because it takes so much time avoiding anything coming to the surface even when the two women are alone together. Mara's character is conceived as a bit of a simpleton (in my mind). I suppose she's supposed to be naive and that these feelings are new to her (except they aren't, as we find out in scenes with her friendly but oblivious boyfriend). She seems somewhat out of touch with her own feelings. And occasionally she sounds like she's drunk...her speech slurs and her articulated thoughts meander.

But Blanchett is the biggest miss here. I would have expected those relentlessly silent scenes, or the ones where characters talk about one thing when clearly they're thinking of something else, to have had more impact thanks to her ability to convey her inner life so well. She's done it before (NOTES ON A SCANDAL jumps to mind). But here she seems nearly vacuous. She seems to be striving towards a sensuousness that she's having to keep hidden...and she certainly keeps it hidden (I feel bad bashing her so much, but in my opinion, she is just simply not that good here.)

The movie essentially follows the development of their relationship and also shows its impact on the lives of the men who love them. The ending is actually interesting and in some ways a bit surprising and unexpected. It might even have been stirring if only we cared one bit about these two characters.

So why do I even give the film as many as 3 stars. Well, first of all, the production & costume design is impeccable. The toy department in which Mara works is a nostalgic delight (I wasn't alive then, but it just felt so completely RIGHT). Mara, despite my overall dislike of her character, has moments that are quite nice. The final 20 minutes or so of the film finally kick into a bit of a higher gear (thank goodness) and rescue it from complete forgetability.

I know that this film just racked up some Oscar nominations, including for Blanchett. So clearly I am not in the majority regarding this film. But when a film is about PASSION, whether on open display or carefully hidden, I still need to feel that passion, either because it's openly represented, or clearly building beneath the surface. Instead, I'm left to infer what these characters are feeling, and if I don't care about them much, I'm not willing to make that kind of effort or investment. When the film was over, my wife and I discussed the film for awhile...we were both in agreement that it was not great, and so our discussion was about why the film was held in such high acclaim. We never settled on a definitive answer, because this is so subjective to start with. But in the end, I have to stick with my gut feelings...CAROL just doesn't work.… Expand
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