Crimes of the Heart

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) | Release Date: January 23, 1987

CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION

58	METASCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews

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Critic Reviews

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100

Staff (Not Credited)

Director Bruce Beresford keeps stars Sissy Spacek, Jessica Lange, and Diane Keaton firmly rooted in the deep, dark black humor of Beth Henley's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. [01 Jul 2014, p.G15]

Staff (Not Credited)

Thoughtfully cast, superbly acted and masterfully written and directed, Crimes of the Heart is a winner. Read full review

Roger Ebert

It exists somewhere between parody and melodrama, between the tragic and the goofy. There are moments when the movie doesn't seem to know where it's going, but for once that's a good thing because the uncertainty almost always ends with some kind of a delightful, weird surprise. Read full review

Rita Kempley

The powerhouse performances are directed by Bruce Beresford, who maintains balance among the actresses and keeps a lovely tone and smooth pace. Read full review

Pauline Kael

The three actresses put so much faith in their roles that they carry the movie, triumphantly. They take the play's borderline pathos about heartbreakingly screwed-up lives--it's a mixture of looniness and lyricism--and give it real vitality.

David Ansen

In the hard-driven, sitcomish Broadway production, these colorful disasters too often seemed willed and self-conscious. The difference here, under Bruce Beresford's direction, is the unalloyed pleasure of watching Spacek, Lange and Keaton devour these juicy parts with lip-smacking relish. [22 Dec 1986, p.75]