The Artist's Wife
Strand Releasing | Release Date: September 25, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
9
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSep 24, 2020
Dolby provides Dern with a chance to be cranky and vicious, but what else is new? The revelation here is Lena Olin, who gets her best role in years as the artist’s second wife, Claire, an artist in her own right who gave it all up to make a home with and for a demanding husband. Read full review
70
VarietyJoe LeydonSep 25, 2020
It’s entirely possible that The Artist’s Wife would have hit the same pitch-perfect notes had it been set during a long hot summer. But the wintery ambiance enhanced by Ryan Earl Parker’s evocative cinematography feels altogether appropriate for a story about one life winding down, and another on the verge of a restorative spring. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 22, 2020
This is more worth seeing for Olin and Dern’s tetchy and touching interactions, portraying a marriage of devotion and decay. Every filmmaker who preaches that “Casting is everything,” or 90 percent of everything, isn’t exaggerating. The Artist’s Wife proves it. Read full review
60
The GuardianCath ClarkeApr 30, 2021
Brilliantly acted but never entirely credible and not quite the force for feminism it wants to be. Read full review
60
EmpireBeth WebbApr 28, 2021
Lacking the boldness of originality and substantial character development, The Artist’s Wife nonetheless showcases Olin’s best performance in years and a brittle brilliance from Dern. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinSep 26, 2020
A sensitive turn by Olin combined with the script’s nicely delineated take on her long-suffering, creatively thwarted lead character, makes the film, set mainly in Long Island’s tony East Hampton, an absorbing, at times moving look at a woman caught between her own artistic and emotional desires and her devotion to a man who doesn’t seem to deserve her. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennySep 25, 2020
The dénouement of The Artist’s Wife, wasting compassion on a character who has earned only the minimum, winds up fully validating an ideology and morality that is complicit in women’s oppression. Read full review
50
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisSep 24, 2020
The best, perhaps the only reason to see The Artist’s Wife is Lena Olin, an actor incapable of giving a so-so performance. Read full review
50
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiSep 24, 2020
The Artist’s Wife can, at times, come off as a collage of other, better movies. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckSep 24, 2020
Despite its value in providing superb starring turns by Lena Olin and Bruce Dern, the film never manages to overcome its air of familiarity. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzSep 24, 2020
Like an exhausted artist facing a blank canvas, or an underwhelmed film critic staring at a blank screen, The Artist’s Wife doesn’t have much to say but tosses something on the screen regardless, hoping it will stick. Read full review
50
The New YorkerAnthony LaneSep 21, 2020
If only the style of The Artist’s Wife could scald with equal intent. Alas, it opts for plangency, with a musical score applied like a gentle balm, and a plot that hungers for healing—absurdly so, given the incurable nature of Richard’s plight. Read full review
More From This Movie

53 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 71 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL