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Miss Potter
User Score
7.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 41 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 41
  3. Negative: 6 out of 41

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  1. SusanH.
    May 5, 2007
    10
    Another masterful portrayal by Zellwegger. A glorious tale of how one woman CAN stand up against the mores of her time and make a difference in the world. Brava! To both Rene and Beatrix.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. ChadS.
    Jun 4, 2007
    7
    After a crucial plot point relatively late in "Miss Potter", the narrative starts to slacken, because frankly, other than her depression(which the film gives short shrift to), nothing truly remarkable happens in Beatrix Potter's life after her initial rush of fame. This film makes the mistake of covering too much time. "Miss Potter" is at its best when the famed writer of "Peter Rabbit" sits at her drafting table, and like a proto-Tori Amos, treats the imaginary realm as if it were an extension of the physical world. Because of the times, much prejudice and ridicule were levelled against any girl who aspired to be more than a wife and mother, especially when her weapon of transcendence was thought to be a man's domain. "Miss Potter" largely doesn't mess up the excitement behind the feminist gambit that a woman can do anything she sets her mind to. If Potter was a murder-mystery writer, life would've imitated art; every character in the film benefits from the catastrophic blow that befalls the writer's personal and professional life. But Potter wrote children's books, and the film deals with her sadness in a very unrigorous manner.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. CharlesE.
    Jan 7, 2007
    10
    My wife and I thought this was one of the most enjoyable films we have seen in years and we see many films. We definitely do not have the same taste so by my definition it was excellent.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. RickyT.
    Jan 10, 2007
    0
    A disturbing, forgettable travesty. Renee and Ewan are both terrible. The plot and intentions of the film are all down the toilet by the end of this mistake.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. TinaF.
    Jan 10, 2007
    0
    Renee has never performed worse and never looked worse. Her ugly performance all-arround plummets this flop to the depths of obscurity. A terrible, monumentally disasterous film.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. BobbyTimothy
    Jan 10, 2007
    5
    Endearing without being especially engaging. Maybe Miss Potter will be best appreciated on video when you will intuitively know when to turn it off. On the other hand, Potter's pastel illustrations, which often come to life to her and to the camera's eye, deserve the antolarger canvas. Tough call. At 92 minutes, the film has the economy of a Potter story, but not the shapeliness or the zip. A scenic, well-behaved account of Potter's life and times. Undeniably disappointing yet impressive at times as a overdone dull biopic.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. MollyC.
    Jan 10, 2007
    0
    Dreadful and forgettable. One of the worst films of all time. I hated it with a passion.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. RichardJ.
    Feb 3, 2007
    10
    I saw this with my wife, expecting the worst-having read most of the reviews. However I was very pleasantly surprised. A change from all the usual riubbish Iv'e seen lately. It worked on many levels (obviously lost on most of the reviewers it seems-how can they say she had a boring unevenful life, she became the biggest selling childrens author on the planet, brought 1000's of acres of gorgeous countryside for the nation, and before she could announce her engagenent to her publisher, he tragically dies on an imposed seperation of a holiday???) It was a tragic love story, a story about how women in the 1900's were suppose to just marry and bring up children in loveless marriages, about social barrires, class and pretension. BUT for me it was the story about how she virtually single handedly saved the Lake District from development and its thanks to Beatrix Potter this area remains as proably the most beutiful area anywhere in the World. A work of art.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. MarkB.
    Mar 22, 2007
    7
    It's hard to believe that all those itty-bitty (and, to their detractors, somewhat twee) little books about rabbits, ducks and frogs were such huge best sellers even a century ago, but their creator, writer and illustrator Beatrix Potter was, at least from a bestseller/ financial point of view, the Dr. Seuss, Walt Disney and maybe even Steven Spielberg of 1902. A movie based on her life would expectedly at least try to approach the question of why, if she was considered such a liberated woman in her day, her children's stories were frequently so conservative: in her most famous one, Peter Rabbit, the protagonist is punished for pursuing his sense of adventure by enduring a traumatically scary experience, getting sick and missing out on supper! It would also reasonably cover the fact that Potter also made some strides as a biologist, but Miss Potter does neither. Naysayers could make a valid case that the film is content to coast on its surface charms, but sometimes the best way to appreciate a movie is to savor it for what it is rather than what we'd like it to be, and anyway Miss Potter has a LOT of surface charms to coast on. Chief among them is the typically luminous title performance by Renee Zellweger, who's one of the most utterly lovable of current actresses and one who has no equal in interpreting somewhat socially awkward women trying to make a place for themselves in the world, as Jerry Maguire, Nurse Betty, the Bridget Jones movies, her Oscar-winning mountain-girl turn in Cold Mountain and even her change-of-pace role as Chicago's ruthlessly opportunistic social climber Roxie Hart all bear out. (By the way, why has there been so much buyer's remorse toward Zellweger lately? It seems like anytime a young or youngish American actress wins an Academy Award--like Marisa Tomei, Mira Sorvino and Helen Hunt--everybody suddenly turns on her. Zellweger is the most recent example; so much backlash has been piled on her since taking home the gold you'd think she'd changed her name to Paul Haggis!) Ewan Macgregor and Emily Watson , as a business associate whose relationship with Potter starts to go beyond business and his sister, give Zellweger fine support, Andrew Dunn's autumnal cinematography perfectly illuminates and parallels Potter's exquisite watercolor work, and the animated sequences in which Potter's four-legged creations come to life are so charming and beguiling that I wish that director Chris Noonan hadn't been so sparing with them. Noonan is the craftsman who brought us the original Babe, that enchanting pig tale that for many moviegoers (count me in) was nothing less than the best live-action G-rated movie of the past two decades. Predictably, Miss Potter can't and doesn't come close to equalling it, but it's no sophomore slump: Noonan brings to both movies a quality you almost never see anymore, didn't see all that often even in the old days, and one that should always be applauded and encouraged whenever it appears: a genuine sense of wonder.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. PaulF.
    Jun 29, 2007
    10
    I give Miss Potter two cotton tails up, way up and dipped like brushes in your favorite vibrant water colors. I can see why some might not like this type of movie. It is not about action, special effects (though the animation was quaintly pleasant), nor not even necessarily about love, which seemingly was marketed as such. I will say however that the love between Norman and Beatrix was quite touching. I was totally convinced that these two were totally meant to be together. As much as I or other audience members might want this to be about true love found, Miss Potter ultimately was about something else entirely different, or at least had a whole other major aspect to it. It seemed as if the movie at one point completely shifts becoming a different story all together. I found this quite unexpected. Before I go into the details of this shift I want to mention the way this society was portrayed, especially the courtship of Norman and Beatrix which really made me long to live in that era. His manner was so polite, respectful, and genuine. And Beatrix though a strong willed lady and somewhat a feminist for her time remained a lady of virtue as well as heart felt emotion. I was touch at heart to see such a beautiful interaction, even if a fictional account on film. I was reminded how my life and society in general has lost much of this innocence that a more simple time and social boundaries can bring. Beatrix and Norman did not rush things, or almost even know what was happening within them until it just naturally sort of evolved. There interplay was so unencumbered analogous to a seamless dance, which in the movie culminated in the climax of the movie when they actually did dance. There is a lesson to be learned from this Taoist like way of living. [***WARNING MAJOR SPOILER***] Don’t read further if you have not seen the movie. I was surprised and saddened by the demise of Norman. This completely changed everything. This is when the soul of the movie deepened and Miss Potter really showed what she was made of. Though I’m convinced their love of each other was portrayed on the level of soul mates, Miss Potter gets back to nature letting it inspire and nurture her spirit to shine once again but with a little something extra that only a certain kind of suffering can temper. In kind Beatrix lets this healing flow back out into the world by loving people and animals with an intelligence about how to live, and ultimately how to preserve it for generations to come. Her life taking a dramatic turn takes on a quite yet profound enlightened way of being. You could really see it in her eyes that her lover’s death was forever embedded in her soul as she continued her work upon the earth. If I had to classify this movie emotionally in one word I’d have to say it was bittersweet. Great movie, worthy of any viewer who values the transformational effect of a genuine and powerful spirit which still touches this earth long after her passing. Honorable mentions go to Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor whose incredible acting brought these characters back to life once again. Certain actors have chemistry, and these two definitely had it. I so wanted these two characters to find happiness as they beamed with it so strongly in their short but touchingly sweet time together. I guess instead of a comedy I found a tragedy of sorts, which really was more of a trying but profound actualization of an incredible young lady into the best woman she could be.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. Keith
    Aug 3, 2007
    6
    Pleasant and unremarkable. Zellweger shows great pluck, and Emily Watson blows wonderful, fresh air into the movie during her too few scenes. For the most part, the movie doesn't make any real attempt to dig very deep into the person of Potter. I would have probably given the movie a 7, but I found the animation sequences too cornball even for a movie about a woman who drew bunnies and ducks. A good movie for those that like their biopics entirely not offensive or insightful, but there are no egregious missteps, other than a lack of any real character excavation.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. Katherine
    Aug 5, 2007
    3
    Ok. Renée Zellweger killed the movie for me. Why did they have to get her, a terrible ugly actress, to fake a British accent? Why couldn't they have gotten a good British actress to play a british author? I love Beatrix Potter's work, and Renée Zellweger is just making her look horrible.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. TroyMartina
    Jan 10, 2007
    6
    The twee romance was too much for me, though the movie's first half follows in fascinating detail the innovations Warne introduced to popularize illustrated picture books for children. Zellweger is certainly likable as Beatrix, but as an upper-class English lady of a century ago, she enunciates her words as if sucking a lemon -- you almost start to wonder if you've stumbled into a satire of "Masterpiece Theatre. Zellweger dusts off her Bridget Jones accent - and a constellation of annoying vocal and facial tics - for Miss Potter, an unrelentingly mediocre, TV-movieish biopic of beloved children's author Beatrix Potter.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  14. DaveD.
    Jan 10, 2007
    4
    "Potter" periodically brings Potter's charming drawings to life in elegantly animated sequences that are as delightful and lyrical as the rest of the film is stilted and clumsy. Miss Potter huffs and puffs but fails to work up much dramatic steam. This attractive, superficial stab at biography, with Renée Zellweger in the title role, is more concerned with a lonely woman's quest for acceptance and love than with an author's worldly achievements. This much sweetness and light in a movie is all very well. But there's a reason that recipes for cake and cookies call for a pinch of salt. In Miss Potter, there is only a grain or two -- not enough to dilute the sugary overload. The film is the cinematic equivalent of a delicate English tea cake whose substance is buried under too many layers of icing. Very disapointing performance and very dull movie.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  15. BillL.
    Jan 12, 2007
    9
    A very good picture with good atmosphere and enlightenment. I suspect that those who like pictures full of male action and explosions will find it too old-fashioned, but then I think those kind of pictures are trite and overdone over and over.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  16. GraceB.
    Dec 5, 2007
    7
    I enjoyed Miss Potter on the whole. it was nice to see an optimistic point of view in the face of adversity. it's one of those feel good movies that you won't forget about the second it's over. I'd recommend seeing it.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  17. PhilP.
    Jan 6, 2007
    9
    I personally feel this film was outstanding. I was encaptured in this film right from the start and so were the rest of the audience at the cinema. Renee Zellwegger plays Beatrix Potter brilliantly and modernizes the up and coming rise of the author in a more upto date style suited for all ages.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  18. DavidJ.
    Jan 7, 2007
    9
    A thoroughly wholesome film with faultless attention to period costumes and effects; beautifully photographed. Another Zellwegger triumph in a foreign accent!. Possibly a thin story of a fairly ordinary Victorian life but as it ends in a mega-million souvenir industry it must be worth recording for posterity.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  19. PhyllisGlazerman
    Jan 8, 2007
    10
    A few very positive things -- Zellweger's acting was great and she was a joy to watch on the screen. The scenery and music were gorgeous. I also loved her way of dealing with all the powerful figures that were at the outset in control of her life. From shyness and acquiessence to boldness and assertivess, and all without the benefit of role models. She managed to work major changes on the society she lived in and she did it her way. Why are men reviewing this movie? I felt everything she was feeling all the way along.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  20. RobertI.
    Jul 14, 2007
    7
    Entertaining in the Hollywood manner, in which lake vistas all hold poignant meaning, crescent townhouses hide pretentious, overbearing mothers, and young girls never dream of happiness as self-reliant individuals. Somehow sugar has been substituted for the pinch of salt that underpins all Beatrix Potter's real work.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  21. EvelynD.
    Aug 23, 2007
    5
    This was a nice little movie, but nothing about it made it stand out. It was average.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  22. JoyceT.
    Jan 28, 2007
    8
    I smiled from first to last. It showed the character's inventive quirky imagination and the miserable limitations she felt in Victorian England. Those pressures weighed her down so much that she denied herself normal human pleasure. A few more glimpses of passion would have been appreciated though.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  23. KimSt.Dennis
    Mar 27, 2007
    10
    This is a wonderful film. If you like British films, you will love this one.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  24. TomH
    May 15, 2007
    8
    I thought it was very good, renee played the role to excellence in my book. it was as much a story about finally finding the right person and all that goes with that as standing on one's own feet and making a difference in her world. Ewan and Emily I also thought were very good. I'm a big Renee Z. fan and thought she portrayed beatrix with great care.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  25. MarkK.
    Sep 23, 2007
    8
    A nice, quiet film. Very British and a delight. I don't know why it was rated PG -- it could have been G. (It is kid-safe.) Enjoyable.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  26. PhyllisL.
    Jun 18, 2008
    10
    This was a very delightful movie!!! Very refreshing after the usual horrific, violent,blood & guts movies Hollywood likes to put out. It was interesting and entertaining as well as educational!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  27. gentely66
    Dec 22, 2011
    10
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
57 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 29
  3. Negative: 1 out of 29
  1. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss/Richard Schickel
    70
    The director, Chris Noonan, doesn't play to our sentiments, he just lets them naturally evolve--even the animation of a few of her (Potter's) drawings doesn't feel especially forced. The result is an honorable and curiously winning film.
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  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    60
    The problem confronting writer Richard Maltby Jr. and director Chris Noonan is that Potter lived a fairly uneventful life once you remove her success as an author.
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  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Robert Koehler
    60
    Renee Zellweger, in another Blighty role, struggles to make Beatrix credible.
    Read full review
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