Possession
USA Films | Release Date: August 16, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
18
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
SalonStephanie Zacharek
LaBute, in his infinite and marvelous wrongness, infuses his movie with a delicacy of feeling that couldn't be more right for the material. LaBute obviously approached the project with his hands and his heart open: Frame by frame, it's a humble picture, a movie that isn't afraid to be an entertainment. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
LaBute likes people who think themselves into and out of love, and finds the truly passionate (like Blanche) to be the most dangerous. He likes romances that exist out of sight, denied, speculated about, suspected, fought against. Read full review
80
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Maud and Roland's search for an unknowable past makes for a haunting literary detective story, but LaBute pulls off a neater trick in Possession: He makes language sexy. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
I was wooed by its sexy romanticism all the way through to the mysterious and beautiful coda. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
The highlights are the writing and the performances. There are real laughs to be had -- several scenes end on sharp, witty shards of dialogue. And whenever Eckhart, Northam or Ehle is the focus, the thing soars.
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Compelling material, especially for those who believe that the lives and loves of the dead can impact the trajectory of the existences of the living. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
A lush, genteel romance of the Merchant-Ivory school that qualifies as a guilty pleasure -- largely because of the unexpected chemistry between its improbably matched leads, Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalNancy deWolf Smith
A romance, a detective story, a comedy and a fable. Such a mishmash prevents it from being a standout in any of those categories. -- It's lovely to look at, though, and it's ultimately carried to success on the back of a strong story.
63
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
What Possession reminds us more than anything is that love is more exotic at the safe remove of history. The irony is that LaBute is more at home chronicling the present, yet that's where this movie falls apart. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
It is entertaining enough to send intelligent viewers (but only the intelligent ones) in search of the book. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Possession needs a sharp eye, a wicked tongue, less reverence and much more of its author's voice. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Some books just aren't meant to be movies -- what once was confidently distinguished now seems merely average and a tiny bit desperate. Read full review
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