Hysteria
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: May 18, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
17
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumMay 16, 2012
Whenever Rupert Everett appears as a rich fellow who distinctly does not fancy ladies, it's a hysterical history lesson of the hilarious variety. Read full review
88
ObserverRex ReedMay 17, 2012
Considering the subject, ripe with titillating possibilities, it's surprisingly about as sexy as a week-old meat loaf. Tastefully directed by Tanya Wexler, it is a total joy from start to finish. Read full review
75
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallJun 13, 2012
Hysteria is a one-joke movie, but when a joke is told this well, it doesn't matter. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaMay 31, 2012
Hysteria is a romantic comedy, not an erotic one. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertMay 23, 2012
The performances are spot on, and I especially like the spunky Gyllenhaal, who with this film and the underrated "Secretary" (2002), has built up a nice sideline in sexual exploration. Read full review
75
New York PostSara StewartMay 18, 2012
If director Tanya Wexler occasionally wanders into excess cutesiness...she makes up for it with a surplus of eye-opening historical details and a refreshing warmth for all her characters, even the ones whose views are clearly on the way out. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMay 12, 2012
Hysteria, is a pleasurable diversion, even if it could have used a touch more spark in the writing. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianMarc MohanJun 14, 2012
For a film that shows the folly of failing to take the female orgasm seriously, Hysteria ends up taking a silly angle on a potentially fascinating slice of secret history. Read full review
65
MovielineStephanie ZacharekMay 17, 2012
The picture is at least spirited, a jaunty trifle that's low on eroticism but high on cartoony coquettishness. Like the little motorized whatsit that is its subject, it does have its charms. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezJun 7, 2012
Hysteria never gets too preachy or ponderous, and there's something in the film to educate even the most learned viewer. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMay 31, 2012
It's cute. So is the movie. If it never rises to greatness, it may be because it's also a fairly formulaic romcom. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia PuigMay 17, 2012
The comic elements of this semi-factual tale are heavy-handed, and a key romance falls flat. Despite its titillating subject matter, Hysteria is only mildly stimulating. The final third of the story meanders during a tedious trial and clumsy speechifying. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMay 17, 2012
Hysteria's "hook" is that it chronicles the development of one of the 20th century's most popular home appliances: the vibrator. However, although the details surrounding the deplorable state of women's medicine during the Victorian era are intriguing, the central story - a romantic comedy between a progressive woman and a forward-thinking doctor - is flaccid. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineR. Kurt OsenlundMay 13, 2012
Hysteria's happy ending isn't the type that calls for a cigarette, and it certainly isn't the one the film deserves. Read full review
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