Molière
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: July 27, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
6
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The Hollywood ReporterBernard Besserglik
Witty, enjoyable costume drama imagines formative episode in life of French comedy giant. Read full review
80
VarietyLisa Nesselson
Romance, creativity, subterfuge and repartee are among the pleasures to be had in Moliere, a consistently diverting, bittersweet costumer. Read full review
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
An extravagant and thoroughly irresistible story of intrigue, romance, comedy and artistic inspiration. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
As Molière, Romain Duris is frisky and, playing the wife of his benefactor, Laura Morante proves once again that she is one of the most intelligent and attractive actresses in the world. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
The actors elevate what might have been fluff into a genuinely moving tale, and the action is so much fun that it doesn't even matter if you've seen Molière's plays before. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
A Molière this good deserves a more substantive portrait, but this one will do for now. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Though it might be Moliere for Dummies, it's infinitely more fun than French director Ariane Mnouchkine's tedious 1978 film portrait, a Moliere for Smarties that ran four hours plus and, like Tirard's movie, explored the comedy of tragedy. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
Sometimes it's fun to put on costumes and wigs and just goof around. Read full review
70
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
Yet the film, directed by Laurent Tirard, has something. To be exact, it has Fabrice Luchini and Laura Morante, as M. and Mme. Jourdain. Read full review
70
Village VoiceElla Taylor
Tirard unwinds the action slow and steady, which makes for a slackly paced first hour that all but destroys the movie. Hang in and you'll see the method in this seemingly perverse strategy, as the young blade grows a passion for the highly strung, cultivated lady of the house, beautifully played by Europe's reigning queen of barely suppressed hysteria, Laura Morante. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill White
The meshing of Moliere and Tartuffe into one character creates so many complications and loose ends that it is a fool's errand to try to make sense of the story. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
While none of this is meant to be taken seriously, the premise demeans Moliere's great achievement. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Moliere transforms into a fuller piece whenever Morante takes center stage. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Showing up for Molière eager for the story of one of the theater's greatest comedy writers would be unwise. It's not that kind of party. Read full review
58
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
It's like a breeze so slight it doesn't leave a tickle. Read full review
50
New York PostKyle Smith
The Great Playwrights for Dummies series that began with "Shakespeare in Love" continues with Molière, a French clone of that grating and smarmy Best Picture winner. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Less forgivably, the movie is dull. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderRyan Wenzel
The approach isn’t new--the film’s already been dubbed “Molière in Love”--but the result is a wry look at the nature of acting and the power of comedy. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldPeter Debruge
By suggesting that the man's life was as riotously funny as his plays, writer-director Laurent Tirard leaves us wishing he'd opted to do a straightforward adaptation instead. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleJosh Rosenblatt
Playing comedy, Duris is as engaging as a bowl of porridge; playing tragedy, he’s the height of comic absurdity; in scenes romantic, he’s detached to the point of somnolence. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The result is as off-putting as biting into a confection in which the sugar has been replaced by salt. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A whimsical but flat-footed attempt to account for several lost months in the life of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known to the world as Molière. Read full review
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