The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them
Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: September 12, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
13
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanSep 18, 2014
The shadow of its past informs the latest incarnation of “Rigby,” a deeply moving, beautifully acted and ultimately mournful meditation on the gulfs that open between people, especially when tragedy falls like a cleaver. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperSep 19, 2014
Even though we’re trafficking in mostly melancholy territory about lost souls trying to regain their footing, it says something about the tender artistry of the filmmaking, and the beautiful work by the actors, that I’m actually keen to spend more time with these characters and see this story unfold from different perspectives. Read full review
83
HitfixGregory EllwoodSep 7, 2014
"Them" feels slightly longer than it needs to be and suffers from an unnecessarily busy third act. That being said, Benson's "final" ending is truly a unique choice and a wonderfully moving moment that haunts you as you walk out of the theater. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzSep 18, 2014
The reason to see it is the humanity the outstanding cast brings to the film. The emotions these people feel, the moments of grief, of anger, of love and of clarity they experience, feel both real and recognizable. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanSep 11, 2014
The film rests, though, on the sturdy shoulders of Chastain and McAvoy. They don’t share the intense chemistry this couple really needs, but they commit to the individual stories with touching persuasion. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'HehirSep 11, 2014
At the very least, this implausible trifecta displays an abundantly talented new filmmaker who has risked everything, including the prospect that we may get sick of him immediately. If you care about the remaining possibilities of American movies, then this one – well, one of the three, anyway! – is a must-see. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliSep 18, 2014
The performances are uniformly strong and there are some powerful scenes but the overall story arc is less insightful or affecting than one might hope. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzSep 12, 2014
The star rating at the top would be two-and-a-half if I were only judging what's on the screen. The other half-star is for audacity. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversSep 11, 2014
Jessica Chastain is a shining star with acting skills that resonate beyond her beauty. She is at her fierce, unerring best, which is saying something, in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyMelissa MaerzSep 10, 2014
Disappearance is worth watching for Chastain's fierce performance as a woman swallowed up by bone-deep grief. If we can feel exactly what Eleanor is feeling, maybe we're not so alone after all. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle SmithSep 10, 2014
The gimmicky title is doubly misleading: The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is neither a mystery nor Beatles-themed, but it is an elegantly wrought tale of anguish. Read full review
70
VarietyScott FoundasAug 6, 2014
At its core is a most affecting portrait of two people who love each other, but may no longer be able to live as one, and it is mostly a pleasure to spend two, or three, or five hours in their company. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesSep 17, 2014
Once a crucial piece of backstory is revealed, the picture becomes more rewarding for it, emotionally and aesthetically, but that doesn’t temper the feeling that half the film was wasted on arty misdirection. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerSep 10, 2014
Without having seen the two-film version, it’s unclear whether the gender-segregated points of view would enhance that emotional intensity or create more redundancy in an already thin narrative. In this form, The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby tows the line between just enough and a bit too much. Read full review
67
The PlaylistOliver LytteltonAug 6, 2014
It is very much a first film, albeit one of rare ambition, and there's every reason to think that Benson will nail it next time around. The film's absolutely worth watching for the performances alone... But in and of itself, the "Them" version of The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby doesn't quite add up to the sum of its parts. Read full review
63
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreSep 9, 2014
The thing that “Disappearance” does perfectly is, unfortunately, its most anti-cinematic trait. Grief and a romantic break-up have never been more deflatingly, depressingly captured. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottSep 11, 2014
As a whole, it doesn’t quite work, but the parts — particular moments, observations and insights about the way people behave and perceive themselves — are frequently excellent. Read full review
60
Time OutChristina IzzoSep 9, 2014
Despite the sparkling cast and engaging, well-tuned turns from Chastain and McAvoy, the scaled-down script doesn’t carry much weight, bogged down by clunky, Hallmark dialogue. Read full review
60
The GuardianXan BrooksAug 6, 2014
While Benson treats his characters with care and respect, his depiction of grief can feel studied and not felt. Read full review
50
SlateDana StevensDec 15, 2014
It boasts (nearly) all the elements of a perfectly fine, even very good, movie, without ever quite becoming a movie at all. Read full review
50
Boston GlobePeter KeoughSep 18, 2014
Despite the artful, passionate performances by the cast, his experiment comes across more as contrivance than a work of thoughtful, aesthetic detachment. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsSep 18, 2014
For me Chastain's unerring honesty is the only element keeping The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby above the realm of pure affectation. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinSep 12, 2014
Anyone who has ever ended a relationship and taken long walks in the rain will relate, at least until the characters open their mouths. Read full review
50
The DissolveKeith PhippsSep 12, 2014
The film feels more thrown-together than thought-through, but the best moments transcend such problems. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia PuigSep 11, 2014
As a chronicle of the collapse of a marriage, the film is choppy, contrived and cloying. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungAug 6, 2014
Although all the main characters and plot points survive the transition intact, they don’t carry the same weight. Him and Her have an undeniable literary, collegiate feeling, like reading a long novel and getting to know the characters inside out. Them steps on the accelerator in a sort of Cliffs Notes version. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenSep 16, 2014
"Them" is spun from callow romantic notions, the sort that make for heady moments. What's conspicuously missing is any grasp of the lovers themselves. Read full review
40
The New YorkerDavid DenbySep 8, 2014
“Them” — apart from a few affecting scenes — is a hollow, high-minded folly. Read full review
40
CineVueJohn BleasdaleAug 6, 2014
Ultimately, Benson's Eleanor Rigby disappears into the gap between its rom-com and drama stools. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineEd GonzalezSep 6, 2014
The film abounds in excruciatingly obvious, often precious, articulations of grief, where armchair philosophizing volleys back and forth with punishing abandon. Read full review
30
TheWrapInkoo KangSep 11, 2014
I was tempted to remark that Benson doesn't know how to write women, until I noticed that he doesn't know how to write men, either. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternSep 11, 2014
The fault is not in the co-stars; they've been brilliant before and will be brilliant again. It's in the laggardly pace, pedestrian writing and murky viewpoint of Ned Benson's feature. Read full review
30
Village VoiceAmy NicholsonSep 9, 2014
Just because a film holds back the truth doesn't make the truth suspenseful. It merely shortchanges the filmmaker and the audience from exploring what that truth means. Read full review
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