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Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Universal Pictures

Captain Corelli's Mandolin reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 36 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
6.4 out of 10
based on 33 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 15 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: R for some violence, sexuality and language

Starring Nicolas Cage, Penélope Cruz, John Hurt, Christian Bale, and David Morrissey

A World War II drama about a beautiful Greek villager (Cruz) and the Italian soldier (Cage), part of Mussolini's occupying army, who wins her heart.


GENRE(S): War  
WRITTEN BY: Shawn Slovo
Louis de Bernières (book)
 
DIRECTED BY: John Madden  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: February 5, 2002 
Video: February 5, 2002 
Theatrical: August 17, 2001 
RUNNING TIME: 120 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: UK / France / USA 

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...

88
Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
Although it's in the same genre as "The English Patient," it's a vastly better movie --more surprising and original, more rigorous and sympathetic. This film is oddly shaped. It is also heartbreaking and exhilarating.
Read Full Review
80
TV Guide Frank Lovece
The able cast brings these emotionally complex characters to life, while making Shawn Slovo's occasionally lyrical dialogue sound perfectly natural.
Read Full Review
75
USA Today Mike Clark
The result is far from perfect, but to its many merits, add timing. You never get a movie with this kind of story in mid-August.
Read Full Review
75
Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
It's beautifully shot on Cephallonian locations by superb landscape photographer John Toll.
75
Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
A handsomely staged and craftily constructed tearjerker.
Read Full Review
67
Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
Ultimately, it's a surprisingly empty experience.
Read Full Review
63
Miami Herald Connie Ogle
Never reaches this level of devastating loss despite its tragedies, but it's not the dismal bomb that much of the British press claims.
Read Full Review
63
New York Daily News Jami Bernard
Grand passion, secrecy, world politics and mortal danger provide a heady mix for this spectacularly beautiful movie. If only the accents were as reliable as the azure of the sea.
Read Full Review
60
Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard
Good old-fashioned romantic entertainment, just restrained enough to skirt schmaltz.
50
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
In this film there is a scene where something is said in English pronounced with one accent, and a character asks, ''What did he say?'' and he is told -- in English pronounced with another accent.
Read Full Review
50
San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham
Handsomely weathered John Hurt, as Pelagia's father, gives a performance of such unhackneyed dignity that it provides a moral compass for the action and helps to keep the ricocheting emotional content of the film in balance.
Read Full Review
50
Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector
Strives for comprehensive coverage of its theme of forbidden love.
Read Full Review
50
Boston Globe Jay Carr
Doesn't so much strike a lot of sour notes as fail to strike the right ones.
50
Entertainment Weekly Staff (Not credited)
A movie that reduces history, as well as eros, to a postcard.
Read Full Review
50
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
The only aspect that emerges a winner is the gorgeous Mediterranean scenery.
Read Full Review
50
Time Richard Corliss
Corelli is a coffee-table movie: one leafs through the gorgeous vistas and nods through the narrative.
50
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Partly a travelogue for the Greek islands, partly a simplistic love story, and generally a rehash of the Oscar-winning "Mediterraneo," as if we needed even the first one.
Read Full Review
42
Portland Oregonian Barry Johnson
No crime against the moviemaker's art, but it is flawed in a way we wouldn't expect from the director of "Shakespeare in Love."
Read Full Review
40
Village Voice Jessica Winter
Ms. Cruz...once again proves her inability to give a bad performance even under the worst of circumstances.
Read Full Review
40
Austin Chronicle Steve Davis
Neither a badly miscast Cage nor an oddly dispassionate Cruz remotely suggest the ardor of love's passion.
Read Full Review
40
Variety Derek Elley
Strikes too many false notes on the dramatic side to add up to a satisfying emotional experience.
Read Full Review
30
New York Magazine Peter Rainer
Based on an interminable 1994 international bestseller by Louis de Bernières that I found impossible to make my way through. The movie duplicates exactly my experience with the book, although I must say I was thankful to be spared serial outbreaks of hearty Greek dancing.
Read Full Review
30
Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
Given the polyglot nature of the cast, with actors from at least five countries taking their best shots at the English language, it's unclear why Cage felt he needed an accent or, stranger still, why it took him a reported seven months to come up with this one.
Read Full Review
30
New Times (L.A.) Bill Gallo
The moviemakers have eliminated the finer points of the novel in favor of broad strokes. Very broad strokes.
Read Full Review
30
Newsweek David Ansen
Every role is miscast. Whose idea was it to have the boyishly British Bale play an illiterate Greek peasant, or the elegant Hurt a gruff-voiced country doctor? Cruz’s run of bad luck in American movies continues.
Read Full Review
25
New York Post Lou Lumenick
We began this dismal movie season with one lethally bad World War II romance -- "Pearl Harbor" -- and now we're wrapping up with another howling dog.
Read Full Review
20
The New York Times Stephen Holden
As the movie methodically plods forward on a screenplay (by Shawn Slovo) consisting entirely of clichés and watered-down exposition, it becomes sadly apparent that its only reliable asset is the gorgeous view.
Read Full Review
20
Salon.com Charles Taylor
Sells ignorance as a refined evening's entertainment.
Read Full Review
20
Washington Post Rita Kempley
A bungled screen version of Louis de Bernieres' cult novel, Captain Corelli's Mandolin was doomed from the moment Nicolas Cage was cast as the "life-devouring," Puccini-loving hero.
Read Full Review
20
Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
The real problem is not the maudlin script or Madden's travelogue touch. It's Cage as Corelli, a miscasting that turns the normally volatile, edgy performer into little more than a spokesman for the Olive Garden.
Read Full Review
20
Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
I wish I'd brought a pair of peas to the screening. Then I could have taken in the glorious scenery without the dumb dialogue, which is delivered in a jangle of accents that makes a mockery of ethnicity.
20
LA Weekly Chuck Wilson
To be fair, it's not solely Cage's fault that his new film, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, is lousy -- director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) deserves most of the heat for this listless dud.
Read Full Review
10
Slate David Edelstein
Probably the most horrifying stuff I've seen all week.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 6.4 (out of 10) based on 15 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

hatem s. gave it a10:
It's a very nice romantic story with some action and with a very great sound track especially the Pelagia Song.

Alexander gave it a 0:
I thought this was a terrible adaptation of the book, some of the very humerous facts where cut out. Especially what happened to Pelagia and Captain Corelli. I also thought the acting was terrible and I did not think much of Nicolas Cage as Captain Corelli thought I do think he is a good actor but just not in this film because of the accent. I am sorry but that is why I have given this move such a low rating

Mike K. gave it a 9:
While I would have liked better accents, at it wasn't as bad as Enemy at the Gates...Russians with British accents? WTF? I though overall that this was a wonderful movie. Beautiful scenery and the general storyline is it's strengths. I did NOT read the book so I wasn't expecting anything. Acting was decent. I agree that Christian Bale was not the best pick for his role (American Psycho fits him better). Penelope Cruz while beautiful (don't be so jealously hateful Darcy... :) ), I think someone else could have played her part more "realistically". As for Cage, dunno...jury is still out on him in this movie.

Johnny B. gave it a 10:
Well done...beautiful romantic and thrilling. Soundtrack is worthwhile purchase. Never read the novel...but cheers to producer! Novel and movie don't always have to be the same. Bravo!

Christine N. gave it a 1:
Horrible !! WHAT a shame that beautifull and compelling book was so badly represented. The actors chosed to play the main characters did nothing to bring them to life = Cruz was just too THIN to be a believable Greek beauty and her acting was horrendous - as for Cage he spoiled the whole movie with his dreadful accent which kept slipping . The only saving grace was the photography.

Jim D. gave it a 2:
What on earth happened to that wonderful, touching, fascinating novel? Everything special about the book has been leeched out for this terrible film.

Michael R. gave it a 9:
A very beautiful adaption of the book...and as far as accents are concerned, what does one expect in an American movie....Greek? Some of the so-called professional criticisms in this respect are entirely unwarranted.

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