55
Metascore
24 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88San Francisco ExaminerBarbara ShulgasserSan Francisco ExaminerBarbara ShulgasserHandsome, well-acted, well-written and beautifully directed movie.
- 80SalonCharles TaylorSalonCharles TaylorGreat Expectations is a triumph because Cuarón's vision prevailed. He seems to be one of those artists capable of reminding us how we first experienced movies, as an overpowering enchantment.
- 78Austin ChronicleRussell SmithAustin ChronicleRussell SmithThough Cuaron slips a time or two during his stylistic highwire act, his refreshingly original movie, aided by Hawke's career-best acting in the lead role, is a joy to watch.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertBegins as a great movie (I was spellbound by the first 30 minutes) but ends as only a good one, and I think that's because the screenplay, by Mitch Glazer, too closely follows the romantic line.
- 75The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenYou may well watch this film and not buy into a single frame. Me, I couldn't help myself.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliMay not be an absolute triumph, but it's significantly better than just a good effort.
- 70The New RepublicStanley KauffmannThe New RepublicStanley KauffmannCuadron, at the helm, wanted to pitch his film in a terrain accessible to modern sensibility yet different from what that sensibility is generally fed. And he might have succeeded, except for his casting. [2 March 1998, p. 26]
- 70NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenGreat Expectations has great style; that's not everything we want from the movies, but sometimes it's almost enough. [2 February 1998, p. 61]
- 40EmpireAngie ErrigoEmpireAngie ErrigoThis plays like a collection of translated, stylised scenes rather than a seamless narrative that arouses one's sympathy with Finn or forbearance for Estella. File under well-meaning failures.
- 25San Francisco ChronicleRuthe SteinSan Francisco ChronicleRuthe SteinFrom watching this meandering, stilted movie, anyone unfamiliar with Charles Dickens' novel would be not only disinclined to pick it up but also clueless as to why it's considered great.