Madame Bovary

Village Voice by Alan Scherstuhl

Lead Mia Wasikowska looks convincingly miserable in the role of a young wife who's driven to seek her pleasures outside the marital bed, but whatever complexities roil in the character's heart and head are nowhere to be found on her face.

The Guardian by Catherine Shoard

The presence of Sophie Barthes behind the camera does not amplify sympathy for our heroine. Rather, the opposite: if anything Barthes seems less in her allure, less tolerant of her tiffs, full-throttle with the vanity and the selfishness.

Slant Magazine by Clayton Dillard

Sophie Barthes neglects to thoroughly conceive of Emma's plight, instead making only sporadic gestures to it.

New York Post by Farran Smith Nehme

The seething passions of Flaubert’s characters are absent, except when Rhys Ifans (as a greedy merchant) or the splendidly ruthless Marshall-Green are in the room.

Variety by Justin Chang

Measured and absorbing rather than deeply compelling or vital, this latest adaptation of a rarely well-filmed novel makes a strong effort to capture the stiflingly provincial world that Flaubert was able to describe in such precise, painstaking detail on the page.

The A.V. Club by Mike D'Angelo

Wasikowska gives a solid, emotionally precise performance, ably supported by the men around her (especially Ifans, who relishes Monsieur Lheureux’s unctuous cajolery), and the result is intelligent and eminently watchable.

Observer by Rex Reed

The results are realistic and refined, but uneven and disappointing.

The Playlist by Rodrigo Perez

An uninspired narrative and disengaged performances ultimately keep persuasive deep feeling and captivation at a far distance.

Movie Nation by Roger Moore

Handsomely mounted, period perfect and starring the empathetic Mia Wasikowska in the title role, the new Madame Bovary narrows the scope and finds a different focus within Gustave Flaubert’s novel.

The Hollywood Reporter by Todd McCarthy

Unfortunately, Barthes brings nothing new to the familiar story.