Winnie 2011

Stephen Holden, New York Times: Ms. Hudson's frequent and distracting costume changes are a sign of deeper problems in a movie that wants to be all things to all people, especially women. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: "Winnie Mandela'' really stumbles when it comes to depicting the couple's painful separation, which the film suggests resulted more from politics than Winnie's infidelity. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: TV-style biopic reduces South Africa's struggle to the status of an impediment in the blooming romance between Nelson Mandela and his wife Winnie. Read more

Scott MacDonald, AV Club: Winnie Mandela is maybe the closest a movie has come to a series of commemorative plates. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: By the film's end, Winnie has become so stifled by her own fallen stature that she sits frozen; unfortunately, so does this somewhat confusing movie. Read more

Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com: From the swelling melody on the soundtrack that opens the film to the Wind Beneath My Wings-like ballad that closes it, Winnie Mandela ... feels less like history come alive than Hollywood hagiography at its most blandly sentimental. Read more

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: This one-dimensional biopic reduces important 20th century political figures to cardboard cutouts. Read more

Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: Like many a biopic before it, "Winnie Mandela" shoehorns an exceptional life into the standard template of a highlights reel, lurching from one Important Moment to the next. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Distant and obvious, it takes a story with many angles and reduces its edges, becoming a glorified TV movie. Read more

Michael Sragow, Orange County Register: This biopic is part hagiography, part expose, and gravely incoherent. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Winnie begins as hagiography and ends in hellish confusion. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: It won't satisfy history students curious about this polarizing figure, nor fans of its star, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: It would have benefited the film if Roodt had been as bold with the mechanics of his storytelling as he is with his inclusion of the title character's less savory moments. But its strengths, particularly the two lead performances, far outweigh its flaws. Read more

Andrew Schenker, Time Out: What starts as a standard worshipful biopic of Winnie Mandela (Jennifer Hudson) suddenly shifts gears after her release from a year-plus jail stint. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Winnie Mandela is a simplistic look at a complex figure. Read more

Sherilyn Connelly, Village Voice: A story that probably could have been told better as a miniseries, the film's main strength is its performances. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Despite the marquee names and their obvious talent, the film feels like a made-for-TV movie. Read more