The Last Vermeer
TriStar Pictures | Release Date: November 20, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
6
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliNov 24, 2020
While the legal stuff provides the film’s crowd-pleasing element, some of the foundational building blocks give The Last Vermeer a little heft, elevating it to a level where one is almost tempted to call it a quasi-art house production. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comNell MinowNov 20, 2020
The highlight of the film is the trial. Van Meegeren insists he was not collaborating with the Nazis; he was defrauding them. The film takes some significant, unnecessary, and distracting dramatic license and spends too much time on characters and relationships that are not as signifiant but these scenes are powerful. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennyNov 19, 2020
The film moves from detective story to courtroom drama with nicely sketched character studies as a bonus. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberMay 21, 2020
Despite the sometimes clumsy exposition, Lyrebird turns out to be an enjoyable melodrama. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeMay 21, 2020
This isn’t the kind of storytelling that flatters the audience’s intelligence, and yet, spelling things out ensures that viewers who don’t like to work too hard can follow along easily and focus on the film’s other pleasures — namely, Pearce’s performance and the twisty case of the missing “Vermeer.” Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrNov 18, 2020
It’s handsomely filmed, well-acted, and hollower than it wants to be, with a mid-movie revelation that rearranges the moral stakes in ways that dampen the telling. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanNov 17, 2020
It’s the film’s exploration of the ethical bartering conducted by van Meegeren — not his expertise as a copyist or his skill as a swindler — that linger after the closing credits. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 26, 2020
The courtroom finale, eating up much of the third act, is a corker. And Pearce holds our focus, still or animated, chewing up a scene or so underplaying it he’s still the center of attention. Like the Great Master he is, he knows how to grab the eye and hold its focus, with or without a menacing mustache. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicShaena MontanariNov 18, 2020
Not just an enjoyable story to watch but an educational look into hidden history that seeks to show its never a good idea to paint anyone with a broad brush. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloNov 18, 2020
There’s no reason why this couldn’t have been good hokey pseudo-historical fun along the lines of, say, The Imitation Game. (Let’s just ignore that some folks perceived that film as Oscar-worthy.) All it required was putting the exceptional character front and center throughout, rather than shrouding his gift in pointlessly vague mystery. Read full review
50
Original-CinKaren GordonNov 24, 2020
There is a terrific movie to be made about the trial of Han Van Meegeren, one of the most successful art forgers in history, who made millions selling his paintings to rich and prominent Nazis during the Second World War. Unfortunately, The Last Vermeer isn’t it. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonNov 19, 2020
It’s a clever gesture, but also points out what’s ultimately wrong with director Dan Friedkin’s postwar thriller: It knows a lot about art history and presumes we know nothing. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshNov 17, 2020
The film capably, if expectedly, proceeds down this standard procedural path, progressing from investigation to trial, with flourishes of genius every now and again from Pearce, having some campy fun as van Meegeren. But even with a few courtroom theatrics and some profound ethical issues to chew on, The Last Vermeer is ultimately a dreadfully milquetoast outing. Read full review
50
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganMay 21, 2020
All the lavish sets and gorgeous costumes in the world – and they are here – can’t quite cover over the cracks in Friedkin’s canvas, constructed by three writers from a non-fiction book. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzNov 17, 2020
Appropriately for a film about art forgery, every cast member in The Last Vermeer seems to be attempting their best impression of someone else. Read full review
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