Pauline and Paulette
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: March 15, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
1
Negative:
2

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Washington PostDesson Thomson
In this good-natured film, even the smallest efforts at kindness yield positive results. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
At the end, you're refreshed, like Pauline after she swallows an entire soft drink in one gulp, and it feels terrific. Read full review
80
New Times (L.A.)Bill Gallo
Disturbing, beautifully acted movie. Read full review
80
VarietyLisa Nesselson
Heartfelt and heart-rending performances make all the difference in Pauline and Paulette, a delightfully bittersweet story. Read full review
80
Village VoiceLeslie Camhi
Without condescension, Debrauwer offers comic glimpses into their separate dreams of grandeur, but he lets Pauline's touching simplicity unite them. Read full review
80
The New York TimesDana Stevens
Rather than assaulting you with self-congratulatory tears, it leaves you with a bittersweet glow of wisdom and an appreciation of the small triumphs and difficult labors of love. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
This beguiling Belgian fable, very much its own droll and delicate little film, has some touching things to say about what is important in life and why. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderBarbara Scharres
Might easily have been mawkish; instead it has a light comic edge and a dignity built on the fine characterization of Pauline. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Sentimental and has its heart on its sleeve, but never heavy-handedly so, and its delicacy and tenderness will get to you if you give it half a chance.
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Plumbs the issue of sibling love and family responsibility in quietly powerful ways, and the performances of the two stars surpass convincing to reach a level of biographical realism.
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Simple, poignant and leavened with humor, it's a film that affirms the nourishing aspects of love and companionship. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Ray Conlogue
What a graceful movie this is. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
van der Groen, described as "Belgium's national treasure," is especially terrific as Pauline. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
They take a mundane story and give it emotional resonance. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
It's a moving tale of love and destruction in unexpected places, unexamined lives. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Debrauwer brings crisp conviction to what might have been an overly sentimental tale, filming it with a straightforward style and good-natured sincerity that ring consistently true. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
With a steady eye and a warm (but never overtly sentimental) heart, it explores a territory where few movies have ventured before. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
The film's plainness, and the understated force of van der Groen and Petersen's performances, sharpen its complexity of feeling until all mawkishness is cut away. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
The result is something truly special. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
A small-scale pleasure, a movie that truly stops and smells the roses. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldMarta Barber
With touches of humor throughout, the gentle and peaceful film never becomes depressing or sad. Read full review
30
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
There is something disturbing about yet another iteration of what's become one of the movies' creepiest conventions, in which the developmentally disabled are portrayed with almost supernatural powers to humble, teach and ultimately redeem their mentally "superior" (read: morally inferior) friends, family and acquaintances. Read full review
20
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Debrauwer's characterization is as sharp and incisive as a butter knife. Read full review
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