Tea with the Dames
IFC Films | Release Date: September 21, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
85
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Original-CinJim SlotekDec 3, 2018
It’s hard to imagine a lovelier fly-on-the-wall experience than Nothing Like A Dame – a documentary that basically intrudes on a regular, wickedly-funny get-together of four octogenarians who’ve been friends since they were barely more than precocious schoolgirls. Read full review
100
ObserverRex ReedSep 21, 2018
Unrehearsed, spontaneous and off-the-cuff, they don’t hold back, their fearless charm is relaxed and effortless, and the relentless candor is enchanting. The result is 83 minutes of bliss spent with four Dames who know the difference between truth and illusion, and generously give a great deal of both. In Tea with the Dames, boredom is not an option. Read full review
100
The GuardianPeter BradshawSep 20, 2018
I would have loved to hear a discussion on a wider range of issues, particularly #TimesUp, but with a film this much fun, it seems churlish to ask for anything else. Read full review
90
TheWrapDave WhiteSep 21, 2018
Tea With the Dames, from director Roger Michell (“Notting Hill”), is as cozy and satisfying as its title suggests. Read full review
90
The New York TimesGlenn KennySep 20, 2018
I would not have minded a bit if the dames were given twice the amount of time this trim film allowed. Read full review
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Anne T. DonahueNov 29, 2018
Funny, sage, jaded, human, flawed. And frankly, that’s what makes these dames even greater. Read full review
88
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoOct 10, 2018
All the women are good company, but in some ways Dench is the star of the show. She laughs often as she kibitzes with the others and seems not at all in awe of herself. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyOct 4, 2018
Each of these dames of the realm gets to play the choicest of roles: herself. Read full review
88
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenSep 24, 2018
It’s all immensely entertaining, revealing, and moving—especially the occasional silences, when they sit comfortably together and the shared years fill the open space. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comMatt FagerholmSep 21, 2018
Michell’s film allows us the privilege to spend an unscripted hour or so with the four acting goddesses during their routine visit to Plowright’s home in the English countryside, and though our time with them is brief, the very thought of our world existing in their absence is almost unbearable. Read full review
88
New York PostSara StewartSep 20, 2018
In a perfect world, Tea With the Dames could be a series. Let us be flies on the wall for this posse’s weekly gathering for tea and convivial cackling. And I say this with the delighted surety that they would tell anyone who proposed this idea to go straight to hell. Read full review
83
The PlaylistJulia TetiOct 3, 2018
Tea with the Dames is absolutely charming and surprisingly emotional. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinOct 2, 2018
The assembled dames are so smart, witty and strong-willed, it’s a wrench to have to part company from them at the end of the film. Read full review
80
Film ThreatAlan NgSep 27, 2018
Serious actors will find a whole new respect for these women and their individual contributions to film and theater, who fought through way through a system made for men and blazed a path for those who followed. And fans of one or all the dames will see the object of their fandom be real, open, and honest. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranSep 27, 2018
Candid, insightful and unpredictable, Dame Eileen Atkins, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Joan Plowright and Dame Maggie Smith are not only acting legends but also great friends. And a treat to hang out with. Read full review
80
Rolling StonePeter TraversSep 26, 2018
It’s delicious — sweet, tart, surprisingly moving and funny as hell. Read full review
80
The TelegraphTristram Fane SaundersSep 20, 2018
In a breezy chat, the quartet are mostly unwilling to dwell on unpleasant subjects, so Michell uses archive footage to spell out the subtext. Read full review
80
VarietyGuy LodgeSep 20, 2018
A wholly delightful talkathon. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisDec 12, 2018
In the end, Tea With the Dames peters out as a conversation, given there’s no real beginning, middle or end to the film. It’s a privilege, however, to have been given a tableside seat to listen to this foursome reminisce and ruminate for an hour and a half, with laughter punctuating the conversation every few minutes. Read full review
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