Disgrace
Paladin (II) | Release Date: September 18, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This is such a rare movie. Its characters are uncompromisingly themselves, flawed, stubborn, vulnerable. Read full review
90
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Mr. Malkovich is one of the few actors capable of conveying genuine intellectual depth. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
As fiercely unsentimental as Disgrace is, it offers by the end a measure of hope, and because that hope is so hard-won, it has the ring of truth. Read full review
80
Village VoiceElla Taylor
The austere economy of Coetzee's writing, crisply adapted for the screen by Anna Maria Monticelli, plays out the melodrama with quietly brooding menace. Read full review
80
NPRBob Mondello
John Malkovich has played some odd ducks in his career, but for sheer unsavoriness, few can match the blandly monstrous Cape Town poetry professor he brings to off-putting life in Disgrace. Read full review
80
EmpireIan Nathan
Surprisingly successful adaptation of J. M. Coetzee's superb novel. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
I cannot tell a lie. I derive great satisfaction watching John Malkovich act. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Newcomer Jessica Haines is transparent and heartbreaking as the prof's unorthodox daughter, a victim of violence as the old ways crumble. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
It’s a harsh experience, at times engrossing, at other times stiff and unconvincing, but it asks a necessary question: What happens to the country’s whites after white rule is gone? Read full review
70
VarietyEddie Cockrell
Anchored by another marvelously quirky yet deadly serious performance from John Malkovich, and likely to be relished by the fan base of J.M. Coetzee's Booker Prize-winning novel, this is a strong, perceptive, old-school arthouse picture. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The movie eventually begins to wilt under the sober, plodding direction of Steve Jacobs, but the thoughtful screenplay gives Malkovich a complex, increasingly reflective character arc that he plays with great feeling, making the professor’s redemption seem honestly won. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Nothing is simple in this film, which ramifies into parallel meditations on race, the transformation of racial politics and lessons to be learned from the lives of dogs. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary Goldstein
Absorbing but often bloodless and, frankly, depressing. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
After a compelling opening act and some shocking late-film developments, the film feels disengaged from the action at hand and the issues raised. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterGautaman Bhaskaran
The story often appears a little unreal. Read full review
60
Washington PostPhilip Kennicott
Is it a great movie? John Malkovich's portrayal of an aging and sexually aggressive professor of poetry is enough to make the film worth anyone's while. Read full review
40
Time OutAaron Hillis
A frustrating film full of overplayed men-as-dogs metaphors, it’s only watchable for Malkovich, who could probably read a social studies exam and still be commanding. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
The film, unfortunately, hasn't the depth Malkovich brings to his performance. Read full review
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