Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 18
  2. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. It's a lovely and wistful celebration of youth, time and moments of connection -- and about the experience of living in the midst of a simple, perfect day that you know you'll remember for the rest of your life.
  2. 100
    Before Sunrise speaks as much to the mind as to the heart, and much of what it says is likely to strike a responsive chord -- a rare and special accomplishment for any motion picture.
  3. Reviewed by: Christopher Harris
    100
    Before Sunrise is a film that first startles you with its simplicity, then bowls you over with its complexity.
  4. If Linklater goes to a bit of an extreme here, it's in making both characters so intelligent and sincere, so ardent and giving, that they seem a little too good to believe.
  5. Richard Linklater goes Hollywood (1995) -- triumphantly and with an overall intelligence, sweetness, and romantic simplicity that reminds me of wartime weepies like The Clock.
  6. Watching and listening to these two is a charming experience; their conversation has the ring of veracity, and rarely does the viewer's interest stray.
  7. Reviewed by: Ian Nathan
    80
    The overall effect is too intelligent to be soppy and too damn good to be ignored.
  8. 80
    Though Linklater allows the movie to wander, he never allows the pace to slacken, and more often than not he finds some unexpected bit of found poetry or cultural kitsch to make the digressions worthwhile.
  9. 80
    The charm -- the midsummer enchantment -- never feels forced; it steals up and wins you. A true romance.
  10. 75
    Before Sunrise is so much like real life - like a documentary with an invisible camera - that I found myself remembering real conversations I had experienced with more or less the same words.
  11. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are attractive stars, but what's most appealing about the picture is the value it puts on sharing ideas and feelings through language.
  12. Delpy and Hawke begin to grow on you and Linklater and his actors achieve a point midway through the film when the characters are so attractive and smart and emotionally daring that you'll be happy to spend the night with them.
  13. Reviewed by: Staff(Not credited)
    70
    The weight of the film rests on the shoulders of Hawke and Delpy, and they're both remarkable.
  14. There's nothing much to the movie, except for the amiability of the actors and the layers of feeling Linklater provides, but that's just almost enough.
  15. What Mr. Linklater does best here is to come up with conversational gambits that have just the right fancifulness to suit this situation.
  16. If his first two films were about emotional mutes, then Before Sunrise is the tale of two kids who won't shut the hell up.
  17. Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    60
    While pic remains sympathetic and appealing, the endless dialogue and repetitive settings become wearing through the couple's one long night together, and the artifice of the premise may contribute to the difficulty the film has in coming to romantic life.
  18. Sunrise feels more like an absorbing experiment than a supple success.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 18
  3. Negative: 4 out of 18
  1. Beautiful, one of the best films I have ever seen. The naive optimism of love and intelligent honest dialogue was amazing. Anyone who has fallen in love and has been optimistic of the future will love it. Full Review »
  2. SalvoA.
    10
    The best romantic-comedy I've ever seen: I'll never forget this movie,cause it represents a dream that every person has lived at least once in his/her life. Full Review »
  3. gargaroj
    0
    Worst movie EVER! Don't care about these insanely boring characters or their stupid conversations. Put me out of my misery.