Aided by a superb script from playwright John Guare, director Louis Malle pulls off a minor coup here, celebrating his wounded characters even as he mercilessly reveals their dreams for the hopeless illusions they really are.
Atlantic City
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
France, Canada · 1980
Rated R · 1h 44m
Director Louis Malle
Starring Burt Lancaster, Susan Sarandon, Kate Reid, Michel Piccoli
Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
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Lou, a small-time gangster who thinks he used to be something big, meets and falls for a casino employee named Sally. She needs his help realizing her dream of traveling to Monte Carlo, a symbol of the glamorous life that she has been desperately searching for.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
The Associated Press by Bob Thomas
Frenchman Louis Malle is an accomplished interpreter of the dreams and dilusions of American smalltimers. He draws first-rate performances from the cast, especially Lancaster as the burned-out hood and Sarandon as the single-minded survivor. [13 Apr 1981]
Malle's slow, deliberate direction tends to flatten out the script's emotional rhythms—he's stern and arty where a lighter sensibility might have been more appropriate—but the film is still a shimmering success.
Los Angeles Times by Kevin Thomas
Atlantic City is a sophisticated fairy tale, beautifully acted and beautiful to behold; it is as funny as it is touching.
A well observed and deeply tender tale.
This is a gentle, warm, well-acted movie, and easy to like.
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
What makes Atlantic City sweet -- and that's the word for it -- is the gentleness with which Lou handles his last chance at amounting to something, and the wisdom with which Sally handles Lou.
The New York Times by Vincent Canby
A rich, gaudy cinema trip.
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