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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Butterfly, The

EMAILPRINTFirst Run Features

Butterfly, The reviews
64
7.3 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 11 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 3 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy  |  Drama  |  Foreign

Written by: Philippe Muyl

Directed by: Philippe Muyl

Release Date:
Theatrical: December 19, 2003
DVD: October 19, 2004

Running Time: 85 minutes, Color

Origin: France

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring Michel Serrault, Claire Bouanich, Nade Dieu, Françoise Michaud, Hélène Hily, Pierre Poirot, Jacky Nercessian, and Jacques Bouanich

Eight-year-old Elsa (Bouanich) and her mom Isabelle (Dieu) move in next to Julien (Serrault), an ornery old entomologist with a lavish butterfly collection in his apartment. Her mother is hardly ever home, and Elsa soon grows attached to her neighbor. (First Run Features)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

80

The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck

Perfect holiday entertainment, albeit for those small fry who can read English subtitles.

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80

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

An exceptionally satisfying film of much grace and beauty.

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75

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Sentimental and predictable? Sure, but The Butterfly is so well-meaning and the wide-eyed Bouanich is so sweet and lovable only a Scrooge would dare complain.

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75

San Francisco Chronicle Walter Addiego

The film has a sweetness that stops short of sentimentality.

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70

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Its scrupulous, even-toned gentleness makes " The Butterfly suitable for children, while its clear-eyed intelligence and refusal to condescend should make it appealing to adults.

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70

Variety Lisa Nesselson

A solidly entertaining, cross-generational two-hander, The Butterfly strikes the right balance between humor and observational bite.

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63

Miami Herald Marta Barber

Adults expecting intellectual stimulation better skip this one. Not that the Philippe Muyl film is devoid of charm; it oozes it. The story is as predictable as a hot summer in South Florida.

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60

LA Weekly Hazel-Dawn Dumpert

If there's anyone to credit for The Butterfly's eventual triumph over the inherent fatuousness of the material, it's the great Serrault and his tiny leading lady, who matches her elder nearly line for line and look for look.

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60

The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray

Cutesy and slight, but it's also polished and well-lit, and Muyl makes a weeklong hike roll by pleasantly, reducing it to about 80 minutes of screen time.

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60

TV Guide Angel Cohn

The film's heart is the relationship between Elsa and Julien, and stars Bouanich and Serrault have a lovely onscreen rapport that's truly endearing.

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50

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

It's all very sweet and occasionally touching. More lasting shots of more beautiful butterflies would have added a lot, though.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.3 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

mary gave it a6:
The story has been told too many times already and told better by directors of Kolya and Central Station. Butterfly Tongue also was far more captivating.

Andy G. gave it a6:
Well acted, pretty cinematography, but clichéd story and too cute to be taken seriously.

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