Shine
Fine Line Features | Release Date: November 20, 1996 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
87
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
25
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
If this weren't a true story, who would believe it? Well, a good many of us, probably. First, it's the kind of exceptional circumstance we like to dwell on as proof that pessimists are wrong; second, Shine is markedly well made, therefore persuasive. [Nov. 18, 1996]
100
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Popular filmmaking at its smartest and most persuasive. Read full review
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The fact that David Helfgott lived the outlines of these events--that he triumphed, that he fell, that he came slowly back--adds an enormous weight of meaning to the film. Read full review
100
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
All but sweeps you away with its dazzling technique and shattering emotion. [27 November 1996, Tempo, p.1]
100
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
Delivers a full emotional palette without undue sentimentalizing. Read full review
100
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
This is unbelievably rich material, and I can say without reservation that Scott Hicks' work deserves the highest recognition. Shine truly does what its name says. Read full review
90
TNT RoughCutAndy Jones
A deeply affecting allegory that explores the symbiotic relationship between genius and madness.
90
Film.comMary Brennan
A film of elegant small moments and complex, bittersweet motivations.
90
Mr. ShowbizF. X. Feeney
It's a film which aims to persuade us of its truth without props or signposts--and it does so with unforgettable beauty. Read full review
90
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The movie does what any great musician should: It lifts an idea to the heights of ecstasy; it sells its song. Read full review
90
Variety
An unconventional biopic about a brilliant young pianist. Read full review
88
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
A sublimely uplifting movie. Read full review
88
Baltimore SunAnn Hornaday
Hard to take in its particulars. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Shine beams with warmth, sensitivity, and fine taste.
80
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Thanks to fine acting and its vividly unconventional protagonist, it pumps fresh blood into a conventional formula. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Memorable, deeply affecting movie. Read full review
80
Film.comTom Keogh
A very moving and surprisingly funny experience.
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
The high-powered drive of both the storytelling and the music is riveting. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Fortunately, Hicks's direction has an elegance and dignity that rescue Shine from the exploitative and give the film an acute, genuinely sensitive style. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
If, at times, Shine's luster reveals more elbow grease than internal radiance, the movie is still a moving tribute to the human capacity to overcome all odds. Read full review
75
USA TodayStaff [Not Credited]
Shine has a story to reckon with and powerhouse male performances. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineFrank Lovece
Feel-good tone notwithstanding (and creepy to boot), there are nagging riddles about the Helfgott story that the film has neither the nerve nor the sense to tackle. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverPeter Rainer
The gaga uplift in Shine knocks the malaise right out of your head--along with just about everything else. Read full review
70
TimeRichard Corliss
Ceases to be a cogent study of the disease of genius and devolves into two lesser creatures: an ordinary weepie and an Oscar contender. Read full review
63
San Francisco ExaminerG. Allen Johnson
The movie is meant to be uplifting and to the degree that you can ignore its unquestioning treatment of mental illness, I suppose it is. Read full review
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