The Lesson
Bleecker Street Media | Release Date: July 7, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
7
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJul 6, 2023
Unfolding with a tonic intelligence and a slow accretion of menace, Alex MacKeith’s screenplay is smoothly in sync with the specific skills of each performer. Read full review
83
Original-CinLiz BraunJul 6, 2023
It’s a clever bit of noir that keeps a viewer slightly off-balance at all times as the tension builds. Read full review
80
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiJul 14, 2023
The Lesson is gripping and compelling, enhanced by its cast and score. It knows precisely what kind of movie it is and, though at times predictable, has much to say and a sophisticated, unpretentious style to go along with it. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJul 3, 2023
The Lesson is a quiet little film with surprisingly sharp teeth. Read full review
67
ColliderChase HutchinsonJul 6, 2023
That it holds together is a testament to the cast who it feels like are battling against clumsy escalations that go bigger and louder when the quieter moments carry with them a far more tactful deployment of emotion. Read full review
63
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottJul 5, 2023
Between its penchant for melodrama and an absolute lack of warmth, The Lesson isn’t the kind of film that will connect with many viewers in a way that sticks to their ribs much longer than the closing credits. Still, between the work of its expert cast and Troughton’s well-played surprises, there’s enough there to make it a sturdy-enough, diverting enough bit of blockbuster-season counterprogramming. Read full review
63
The Associated PressLindsey BahrJul 5, 2023
The Lesson is worth a watch as a tightly crafted film made by and for adults unafraid of some rhododendron metaphors and casual Tchaikovsky talk. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJul 3, 2023
Echoing Liam’s review of Sinclair’s work in progress, I’d call the first two acts of the film cleverly constructed, fresh and fascinating, yet marred by a climax and conclusion that are unworthy of what came before. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineChris BarsantiJun 30, 2023
It’s a testament to the skills of the cast and filmmakers that The Lesson’s mysteries, while easy to foretell, are worth unraveling. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeSep 25, 2023
Unfortunately, it all rather stumbles with an overwrought final act that disintegrates under scrutiny and hinges on a key character’s unlikely ability to remember, verbatim, every word he has ever read. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeySep 22, 2023
As a scratchy string quartet for the four actors, it continues to work surprisingly well – you might hand it back with a B+ in that department. But as a storytelling assignment, it droops little by little into the C zone. Read full review
60
Time OutDan JolinSep 18, 2023
Despite its thorough classiness and pristine presentation, it is not a film you can really warm to – much like its characters. Read full review
60
EmpireLillian CrawfordSep 15, 2023
McCormack, Grant and Delpy waltz with flair in this stylish if unoriginal slow-burn thriller. Best consumed with a large glass of red wine and one’s tongue in one’s cheek. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenJul 10, 2023
In the thoroughly capable hands of Grant, Delpy and McCormack, whose interplay has been playfully choreographed to the 1-2-3 tempo of a waltz-infused score by composer Isobel Waller-Bridge (Phoebe’s sister), the film proves as pleasingly undemanding as a typical summer read: neither a legit page-turner, nor easy to put down. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithJul 7, 2023
To the extent this literary feud evolves into a thriller, it’s not an especially thrilling one. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerJul 5, 2023
Maybe some grasp of the dynamics of the modern publishing industry would have added some grit, making it more than it is: a formulaic and forgettable pulpy beach read. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 13, 2023
It makes a grand showcase for the snobby, aloof villainy of Richard E. Grant, who devours his best role in decades like a starving man who breaks his fast with caviar and canapes. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyJul 7, 2023
The Lesson, directed by Alice Troughton from a script by Alex MacKeith, aspires to be high-toned but only gets to the peak of a cliché slag heap. Read full review
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