I Am Not Madame Bovary
Well Go USA Entertainment | Release Date: November 18, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Time Out LondonTrevor JohnstonMay 22, 2017
All in all, ‘Madame Bovary’ is quite something, gradually building to a jawdropping final scene. Anyone with an interest in Chinese arthouse cinema really needs to see this. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyNov 18, 2016
I Am Madame Bovary plays out as a comedy, a lampoon of the incompetence and laziness of government officials. Read full review
70
Village VoiceMichael NordineNov 17, 2016
It's like an odd storybook you'd find in the attic and have trouble putting down — the more quixotic Lian's journey becomes, the more you want her to see it through to the bitter end. Read full review
50
The Seattle TimesTom KeoghNov 17, 2016
The script by Liu Zhenyun becomes ponderous and redundant, kept on oxygen by its lead actress’s complex performance as a child-woman with enigmatic wisdom. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayNov 17, 2016
The hyper-dramatic touches help disguise that this is essentially a film about paperwork. The rest of the weight is carried by Fan, who’s funny and heartbreaking. She’s a hero for our times: a stubborn woman, willing to inconvenience the powerful to get a fair hearing. Read full review
50
The New York TimesGlenn KennyNov 17, 2016
There’s some intriguing social commentary in the Chinese comedic melodrama I Am Not Madame Bovary.... But appreciating it, and the other points of interest in the movie, requires a perhaps unusual amount of patience, or even indulgence. Read full review
75
Washington PostMark JenkinsNov 17, 2016
Although it’s intended as a satire, director Feng Xiaogang’s movie has a literary tone, a leisurely pace and relatively few laugh-out-loud moments. It captures not only Lian’s frustration, but also the exasperation of the authorities who must deal with the demanding woman during her 11-year quest for justice. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloNov 16, 2016
Fans of both non-action Asian cinema and stifling bureaucratic nightmares, your long wait is finally over. Read full review
83
The Film StageZhuo-Ning SuNov 16, 2016
An overlong mid-section stagnates after the novelty of the premise wears off, but a couple of plot twists late in the game raise the stakes again and Xiaogang Feng, with his signature dry humor and newfound creative juices, hits too many marks on this one for it to disappoint. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 11, 2016
The acting is rarely broad and Fan Bingbing delivers a credible haplessness in Lian. The broader comedy translates well-enough. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungSep 29, 2016
The sarcasm of superstar director Feng Xiaogang reduces Chinese bureaucracy, the legal system and government inefficiency to ashes in I Am Not Madame Bovary, but risks doing the same for audiences in a caustic, overlong satire whose coy visual effects overpower the story and characters. Read full review
80
Screen DailyDavid D'ArcySep 29, 2016
The film’s look is as striking as Fan’s performance. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis HarveySep 29, 2016
Long, relatively low-key but always engaging, I Am Not Madame Bovary wears its expansive scale lightly. Read full review
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