Love! Valour! Compassion!
Fine Line Features | Release Date: May 16, 1997 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
7
Negative:
2

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesStephen Holden
One reason the film version of Terrence McNally's play Love! Valour! Compassion! is so moving is that this complicated group portrait never loses its slippery emotional footing. Read full review
90
Film ThreatRon Wells
The best thing the filmmakers did was to pull a cast out of the stage productions. Importantly, the actors convey a sense of history and comfort with each other. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
While director Joe Mantello (who also helmed the stage production) often uses the opened-up space of the movie well, he doesn't always avoid some of the common pitfalls that come with adapting plays. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Yet the pride and sympathy McNally brings to his characters reminds us how far gay film has progressed from the long, self-lacerating whine of "The Boys in the Band". Read full review
80
VarietyEmanuel Levy
It is so sharply written and entertaining that in its stage-to-screen transfer the material easily overcomes its theatrical sensibility and the static direction of Joe Mantello, who also staged the Broadway production. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
It's rare for homosexuals in mainstream motion pictures to be presented as individuals rather than icons; Love! Valour! Compassion! defies tradition by proffering its characters as real people with believable problems. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Yet Love! Valour! Compassion! has power and insight, and perhaps what makes it strong is its disinterest in technical experiments: It is about characters and dialogue, expressed through good acting--the very definition of the "well-made play." Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
McNally adapted his Tony-award winning play for the screen, and for once a movie is an improvement on the stage version. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
There are endearing and powerful moments which thankfully overshadow the occasional clichéd passages. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
But the great revelation in this version is the terrific, beautifully controlled work of Alexander -- Seinfeld's most gifted actor, whose recent movie roles have not allowed him to show his range. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Most of the cast (along with director Joe Mantello) have been recruited from the stage play, and they all do a fine job of trimming their performances for the screen. Read full review
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