I Capture the Castle

Philadelphia Inquirer by Carrie Rickey

Sadly too often (and I'm unsure whether this is the result of voices that echo when bounced off stone walls or because the acting is all over the place), the characters create the impression that English is their second language.

Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt

It's surprising no filmmaker has adapted Dodie Smith's novel before now, and pleasing that Mr. Fywell and company have done such a responsible job with it. It's one of the season's most captivating surprises.

Washington Post by Desson Thomson

Could have been a sensation if a director with a smidgen of moviemaking instinct had taken the helm.

Village Voice by Jessica Winter

Sweet and sleepy, I Capture the Castle might feel most comfortable in a Sunday-afternoon slot on the BBC.

Portland Oregonian by Kim Morgan

There's something refreshingly and truly girlish about the picture's musings and epiphanies that makes its R rating baffling.

Austin Chronicle by Kimberley Jones

Falling in love with the wrong person makes for a far more toothsome melodrama, a fact this small, satisfying picture rightly recognizes.

TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh

Smith's beautifully observed story of two young women learning how cruel and calculating the world -- and they -- can be is beautifully realized, and Garai stands out among a fine ensemble cast.

The A.V. Club by Nathan Rabin

Garai's flowery, overwritten narration proves irritating in the movie's first half, then unfortunately sets the tone for a fatal second-half descent into soap operatics, dippy dialogue, and airless melodrama.

Film Threat by Rich Cline

Nighy is superb as usual in a much meatier role than even he usually gets. And Byrne makes her character far more three-dimensional than the shallow creature she could have been.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Sean Axmaker

The boys and girls are so busy acting out their romantic fantasies or soulfully pining over impossible loves that, however photogenic they may be, they never seem to actually live their lives.