Gemma Bovery 2014

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Laden with witty ironies, the film by Anne Fontaine suggests men may not play exactly the roles they think they do in women's lives. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: A somewhat reserved but sensual and gratifying movie that finds and polishes connections between literature and the screen while further catapulting the wonderful British actress Gemma Arterton several notches up the ladder toward international stardom. Read more

Jay Weissberg, Variety: The script flattens the main characters and makes one nostalgic for Flaubert's observational acumen. Read more

Jesse Hassenger, AV Club: Arterton proves again that she has starrier magnetism in movies that slow down enough to appreciate it, even if she winds up as much a symbol as her own person. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: This is the first Fontaine movie I've seen that qualifies as lightweight. Read more

Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter: As pure entertainment it certainly does the job, although much of the text's existential weight is lost in the process. Read more

Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: Fans of "Madame Bovary" might enjoy the chance to nod knowingly at references to the novel, but that's not enough to sustain a feature ... Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: The novel, of course, is one of the towering achievements in literature, and this trivial movie has no idea what to do with it. Read more

Anthony Lane, New Yorker: We are offered a handful of sketchy observations on the extent to which art either does or does not mimic life. These are, at best, unchallenging, and would have drawn barks of laughter from the derisive Flaubert. Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: Christophe Beaucarne shoots the countryside, the baked goods, Gemma and Martin's playful dogs, and of course Arterton with sun-dappled rapture. No 19th-century novelist saw the world like this. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Literary obsession proves to be a weak spine for this wry French drama. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: Think of "Gemma Bovery" as an airy puff pastry, dripping with honey. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: A nice little gem for anyone intrigued by the concept of having fun with a giant of 19th century literature. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: The scenery's lovely and the bread-kneading surprisingly erotic. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Like Chabrol, Fontaine has a way of making you laugh, on an off, for 90 minutes, before leaving you feeling a little queasy from too much truth. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: If the film moved along quicker and found a better mix of irony and sadness, it would have been a charming treat. But all the ingredients fail to make a tasty pain au chocolat. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Director Anne Fontaine eroticizes her porcelain-skinned star but also adds some subversively feminist flourishes. Read more

Nathalie Atkinson, Globe and Mail: A transmogrified Flaubert, recast, upturned and rich with observational and satirical contemporary details. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: A tad too slapstick and not nearly modern enough in its social sensibilities to offer a truly updated version of Madame Bovary, Gemma Bovery still has its charms ... Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: Underscores the notion that what we're watching isn't merely the life of a complicated woman, but rather the actions and choices of that woman as seen through a man's eyes and a man's judgment. Read more

Cath Clarke, Time Out: The tone is uneven, creaking between uproarious comedy bonking and serious(ish) drama. Read more

Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice: Anne Fontaine's Flaubert-inspired meta-pleasure Gemma Bovery takes as its subject the act of watching the lives around us - and of wishing those lives were literature. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: After a while, the film feels more like a cute conceit that hasn't really been developed further. It's intriguing, and very well-acted, but empty. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: How is it possible that such blatant male wish fulfillment came from a female director and a graphic novel by a woman, writer-artist Posy Simmonds? Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: The whole contrivance falls flat in the end. Read more