The Face of Love 2013

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: It's the wonderful performances by Bening and Harris that make this flawed, somewhat maudlin film worth seeing. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: It sounds turgid, but it's a fine example of how two great actors can lift questionable material beyond its limitations. The premise is unlikely, but every time it edges uncomfortably in the direction of soap opera, they rescue it, making you care. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: The premise is, at once, too much and not enough. It's too much for these filmmakers to handle. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: What's mesmerizing here is what happens in Bening's eyes, in her complicated smiles, in her eloquent quiet. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: Annette Bening and Ed Harris bring potent conviction to this maudlin but strangely compelling psychological love story. Read more

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, AV Club: Workmanlike and unambitious, presuming that a story and a string score are enough to carry a movie. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: "The Face of Love" needs further fleshing out. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: The only thrill, and it's worth the price of admission, is Bening. Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: The first ten minutes of The Face of Love function as what might be called a statement of purposelessness, announcing exactly how and why the movie will be bad. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Old age, romance, grief, delusion and desperation all intersect in "The Face of Love," a far-fetched tale that nevertheless manages to be affecting. Read more

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: Grown-up romance and disturbing psychology make a satisfying match. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: Rather than indulging the weird Sirkian "Vertigo" (minus the murder plot) nipping at the edges, director and co-writer Arie Posin regrettably sticks to the tastefully designed, artless tear-jerker. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: A weak-tea version of "Vertigo" in which contrivances abound. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: Ms. Bening ... immediately [makes] this woman come so satisfyingly alive, breathing believable vitality and at times contradictory emotions into what might have otherwise registered as a blur or cliche. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: A Lifetime Channel-like meditation on grief and moving on ... Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: "The Face of Love" is marred by false conflicts and by characters violating their own internal logic - the latter problem becomes particularly acute as the movie wears on. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: "The Face of Love" is patchy, but it raises such fascinating questions that it deserves to be seen. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Like so much about this film, the finale hints at Hitchcock but settles for soap opera. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: The Face of Love's story runs and blotches like cheap mascara. Read more

Bruce Demara, Toronto Star: Many are going to find the plot questionable and the protagonist's actions deplorable. But for those who've experienced loss and grief that seems irreparable, it is a film that will strike a deep and melancholy chord. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: Gooey and half-baked, with plot contrivances butting up against genteel design porn. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: Though this unabashedly earnest tearjerker doesn't completely transcend its narrative absurdities, it's enough of a distinctively odd duck to keep you engaged. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: It's a maudlin, superficial exercise in obsession masquerading as a heartfelt romance and study of grief, and character development is sorely lacking. Read more

Sherilyn Connelly, Village Voice: The Face of Love becomes a study of a woman gradually losing her grip on reality, thanks to the universe playing a seriously dirty trick on her. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Bening and Harris are great actors, and they fill their roles as completely as they can, given the limitations of the soggy and implausible script by Matthew McDuffie and director Arie Posin. Read more