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A Love Divided
Metascore
52 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 13
  3. Negative: 3 out of 13
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  1. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephen Hunter
    80
    Stunningly acted by Liam Cunningham and Orla Brady as the Cloneys.
  2. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Marta Barber
    75
    Will leave you taking sides, whether or not that was the film's intent.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    75
    If it weren't based on a true story, you might suspect Sydney McCartney's A Love Divided was created by a panel of militant Irish Protestants.
  4. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    75
    An Irish drama that's a lot more sly and a lot less straightforward than it appears on the surface.
  5. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Loren King
    75
    Solid, balanced period piece that focuses on a specific place and time yet resonates with universal themes.
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  6. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    70
    Although the film is well acted from top to bottom, its dramatic spark plug is Mr. Doyle's terrifying portrayal of Father Stafford.
  7. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    60
    While the film's exploration of Irish religious intolerance takes it to many familiar areas, the specifics are unfamiliar and fine performances -- especially those of leads Cunningham and Brady.
  8. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Michael O'Sullivan
    50
    It's like a PBS version of a movie of the week about child abduction, complete with histrionic, spit-flecked speechifying in quaint Irish brogues.
  9. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Paul Malcolm
    40
    In the end, Macartney and screenwriter Stuart Hepburn decide that love conquers all, which may have been the way it happened but doesn't leave the film with much going on.
  10. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Jessica Winter
    40
    Brady and Cunningham share a volatile, symbiotic chemistry, sketching in elegant shorthand the rhythms of a lusty, combative marriage.
  11. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    38
    Has precious little to add to the canon -- and does so in a highly melodramatic manner.
  12. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    30
    The actors do a fine, if unsoulful, job, but the real problem with A Love Divided is its unwillingness to unromanticize its heroes.
  13. New Times (L.A.)
    Reviewed by: Luke Y. Thompson
    30
    What saves the film from utter forgettability are the strong supporting performances, especially from Peter Caffrey as the town atheist, and Tony Doyle.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. Ben-Basile
    10
    I've only seen the movie once, and a long while ago, but I remember being blown away by how good it was. The acting is brilliant, you really feel the tension, danger, and loneliness and just anger the characters do. Also, the pub performance of Bobby Burn's poem (beloved Scott-Irish poet) "Ae Fond Kiss" set to mandolin and singing was SO GOOD that I got my mom to use it as a piece we performed in our highschool choir and we got second in the state (Texas) with that on our list. I've been searching for this movie for YEARS and I'm glad I've finally found it, I couldn't remember the title but I'll never forget it, and I'll buy this as soon as I can! This was the first time I've heard that song/poem, and now it's one of my favorites and I still think this movie performance is the best there is though I have many other versions of the song.… Full Review »
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