Amadeus

There are good results here, and some less than good. One might say it is less than the sum of its parts; if in the end I was not moved in the way I was surely meant to be — the five-part series is a little repetitious, a little exhausting — there was much to like along the way. It did prove interesting.

This Mozart is more of a straightforward working artist, alcoholic and skirt chaser. This makes for a Mozart who is more rueful and sympathetic but not much more interesting, and Sharpe gives a somewhat dutiful performance. .... The revisions have one happy result: Barton’s Salieri is a more nuanced and interesting character, with motivations more grounded in everyday life. Bettany takes full advantage in his meticulously controlled performance; we can feel the rot eating him from within. .... The question his [Joe Barton's] “Amadeus” raises is, why “Amadeus”?

There's plenty to enjoy for viewers willing to embrace its theatricality and historical aversion, but those expecting a more nuanced or historically grounded exploration of Mozart will be left wanting more.

There are plenty of bits of hits, but missing is the play’s probing examination of quite why Mozart is so new and astonishing.

The music, the sets, the costumes—all gorgeous—but pallid imitation fails as sincere flattery in this overstuffed, five-part streaming version of a Tony winning play and Oscar-winning movie.