The Exception
A24 | Release Date: June 2, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
60
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinJun 1, 2017
The superb English stage director David Leveaux keeps the pacing taut while creating space for his actors to work their magic. Read full review
71
Paste MagazineJacob OllerJun 8, 2017
The film never quite achieves the level of fevered hurry for which it aims—sometimes due to its often trite, on-the-nose dialogue and sometimes to the stilted delivery of said dialogue. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 22, 2017
For the most part it works, both as a bizarre romance and a fanciful World War II almost-thriller. This is in large part thanks to the cast, particularly Christopher Plummer as Wilhelm. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranJun 1, 2017
"Exception" breaks no new ground but it is a solidly done and always engrossing piece of alternate history, mixing real people and events with fictional ones. Read full review
63
Philadelphia Daily NewsGary ThompsonJul 6, 2017
Courtney and James have good chemistry, and the sexual candor of their scenes together comes as a bit of a surprise, given the costume-drama, art-house tone of the production, though perhaps this is just the residue of James’ "Downton Abbey" days. Read full review
63
Washington PostStephanie MerryJun 29, 2017
For all its late-in-the-game silliness, The Exception is a solidly acted, well-told tale about how love of country holds up in the face of other, less nationalistic passions. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyJun 21, 2017
In other words, it’s hopeless tosh — but expertly done hopeless tosh. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaJun 2, 2017
For Plummer’s plum of a performance alone, you might want to make an exception for The Exception. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineChristopher GrayMay 28, 2017
David Leveaux's film cannily incorporates elements of spycraft and sheer trash into a familiar formula. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJun 1, 2017
The Exception is a diverting and occasionally exciting film, though it is rarely disturbing or thought-provoking in ways the material might require. Read full review
60
Village VoiceSam WeisbergMay 31, 2017
Whenever Plummer is onscreen, The Exception is scintillating entertainment. Unfortunately, it gets bogged down. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 24, 2017
It’s a World War II thriller so out of date the only words to describe it are also obsolete — Potboiler and Cornball. Read full review
50
TheWrapDave WhiteJun 1, 2017
Whatever nuance existed in the original novel, whatever detail regarding the complicated emotional existence of actual human beings, is reduced here to not-quite-suspenseful-enough plot points and an impossible forbidden romance that makes almost no sense. Read full review
50
The Film StageJared MobarakJun 1, 2017
The Exception is merely a serviceable drama taking us on a competent if predictable journey. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesJul 5, 2017
The Exception’s line is not an easy one to walk, this marriage of soapy melodrama and real-world events, and with Courtney leading the parade, it’s destined for failure. Read full review
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