- Summary: A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.
- Director: Stephen Frears
- Genre(s): Drama
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 6 out of 6
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Mixed: 0 out of 6
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Negative: 0 out of 6
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90Getting full comic effect from its class-comedy abrasions, Philomena rises to poignancy and profundity as Dench reveals her control of a character stained by the loss of her child and troubled by her suspicion.
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83It's certainly a crowd-pleaser...and something close to a triumph, if not an unqualified one.
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80Its main focus is the sparky, shifting relationship between its two protagonists and its trump card the startling chemistry between its two main stars.
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80It's a terrifically moving film that has a fitting earthbound feel to it.
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80This is a heartbreaking story – how could it not be? But Frears’ film breaks your heart and then repairs it.
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70It’s an undeniable whopper of a yarn and, coming after a string of middling efforts from Frears, easily the director’s most compulsively watchable picture since “The Queen."
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Published: September 17, 2013Find capsule reviews for the 30 most notable films that debuted during the three major fall film festivals, including upcoming films from Alfonso Cuaron, Jonathan Glazer, Hayao Miyazaki, Jason Reitman, Steve McQueen, Stephen Frears, Bill Condon, Richard Ayoade, Kelly Reichardt, and more.