Molière
Metascore
59 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 22
  3. Negative: 2 out of 22
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  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Bernard Besserglik
    80
    Witty, enjoyable costume drama imagines formative episode in life of French comedy giant.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Lisa Nesselson
    80
    Romance, creativity, subterfuge and repartee are among the pleasures to be had in Moliere, a consistently diverting, bittersweet costumer.
  3. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    80
    An extravagant and thoroughly irresistible story of intrigue, romance, comedy and artistic inspiration.
  4. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    75
    The actors elevate what might have been fluff into a genuinely moving tale, and the action is so much fun that it doesn't even matter if you've seen Molière's plays before.
  5. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    75
    Though it might be Moliere for Dummies, it's infinitely more fun than French director Ariane Mnouchkine's tedious 1978 film portrait, a Moliere for Smarties that ran four hours plus and, like Tirard's movie, explored the comedy of tragedy.
  6. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Marc Mohan
    75
    Sometimes it's fun to put on costumes and wigs and just goof around.
  7. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    75
    A Molière this good deserves a more substantive portrait, but this one will do for now.
  8. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    75
    As Molière, Romain Duris is frisky and, playing the wife of his benefactor, Laura Morante proves once again that she is one of the most intelligent and attractive actresses in the world.
  9. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Ella Taylor
    70
    Tirard unwinds the action slow and steady, which makes for a slackly paced first hour that all but destroys the movie. Hang in and you'll see the method in this seemingly perverse strategy, as the young blade grows a passion for the highly strung, cultivated lady of the house, beautifully played by Europe's reigning queen of barely suppressed hysteria, Laura Morante.
  10. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Anthony Lane
    70
    Yet the film, directed by Laurent Tirard, has something. To be exact, it has Fabrice Luchini and Laura Morante, as M. and Mme. Jourdain.
  11. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Bill White
    67
    The meshing of Moliere and Tartuffe into one character creates so many complications and loose ends that it is a fool's errand to try to make sense of the story.
  12. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    63
    Moliere transforms into a fuller piece whenever Morante takes center stage.
  13. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    63
    While none of this is meant to be taken seriously, the premise demeans Moliere's great achievement.
  14. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    63
    Showing up for Molière eager for the story of one of the theater's greatest comedy writers would be unwise. It's not that kind of party.
  15. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Michael Sragow
    58
    It's like a breeze so slight it doesn't leave a tickle.
  16. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Peter Debruge
    50
    By suggesting that the man's life was as riotously funny as his plays, writer-director Laurent Tirard leaves us wishing he'd opted to do a straightforward adaptation instead.
  17. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    50
    The Great Playwrights for Dummies series that began with "Shakespeare in Love" continues with Molière, a French clone of that grating and smarmy Best Picture winner.
  18. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    50
    Less forgivably, the movie is dull.
  19. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Ryan Wenzel
    50
    The approach isn’t new--the film’s already been dubbed “Molière in Love”--but the result is a wry look at the nature of acting and the power of comedy.
  20. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Josh Rosenblatt
    40
    Playing comedy, Duris is as engaging as a bowl of porridge; playing tragedy, he’s the height of comic absurdity; in scenes romantic, he’s detached to the point of somnolence.
  21. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Liam Lacey
    38
    The result is as off-putting as biting into a confection in which the sugar has been replaced by salt.
  22. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    25
    A whimsical but flat-footed attempt to account for several lost months in the life of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known to the world as Molière.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. [Anonymous]
    10
    I thoroughly enjoyed this costume melodrama. I find it interesting that critics rate it a 59 when users who have seen the film rate in in the 9 range.… Full Review »
  2. MarL.
    9
    Do not be fooled by negative movie reviews, MOLIERE is a great movie. with great actors displaying their charm throughout a very entertaining plot.
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