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Shine
Metascore
87 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 25 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    The fact that David Helfgott lived the outlines of these events--that he triumphed, that he fell, that he came slowly back--adds an enormous weight of meaning to the film.
  2. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    100
    All but sweeps you away with its dazzling technique and shattering emotion. [27 November 1996, Tempo, p.1]
    All this critic's reviews
  3. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    100
    This is unbelievably rich material, and I can say without reservation that Scott Hicks' work deserves the highest recognition. Shine truly does what its name says.
  4. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Edward Guthmann
    100
    Delivers a full emotional palette without undue sentimentalizing.
  5. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    100
    Popular filmmaking at its smartest and most persuasive.
  6. The New Republic
    Reviewed by: Stanley Kauffmann
    100
    If this weren't a true story, who would believe it? Well, a good many of us, probably. First, it's the kind of exceptional circumstance we like to dwell on as proof that pessimists are wrong; second, Shine is markedly well made, therefore persuasive. [Nov. 18, 1996]
    All this critic's reviews
  7. Mr. Showbiz
    Reviewed by: F. X. Feeney
    90
    It's a film which aims to persuade us of its truth without props or signposts--and it does so with unforgettable beauty.
  8. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Mary Brennan
    90
    A film of elegant small moments and complex, bittersweet motivations.
    All this publication's reviews
  9. Variety
    90
    An unconventional biopic about a brilliant young pianist.
  10. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    90
    The movie does what any great musician should: It lifts an idea to the heights of ecstasy; it sells its song.
  11. TNT RoughCut
    Reviewed by: Andy Jones
    90
    A deeply affecting allegory that explores the symbiotic relationship between genius and madness.
    All this publication's reviews
  12. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    88
    A sublimely uplifting movie.
  13. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    88
    Hard to take in its particulars.
  14. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    83
    Shine beams with warmth, sensitivity, and fine taste.
    All this critic's reviews
  15. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    80
    Memorable, deeply affecting movie.
  16. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Tom Keogh
    80
    A very moving and surprisingly funny experience.
    All this critic's reviews
  17. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Elvis Mitchell
    80
    Fortunately, Hicks's direction has an elegance and dignity that rescue Shine from the exploitative and give the film an acute, genuinely sensitive style.
  18. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: David Ansen
    80
    Thanks to fine acting and its vividly unconventional protagonist, it pumps fresh blood into a conventional formula.
  19. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    80
    The high-powered drive of both the storytelling and the music is riveting.
  20. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    78
    If, at times, Shine's luster reveals more elbow grease than internal radiance, the movie is still a moving tribute to the human capacity to overcome all odds.
  21. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Staff [Not Credited]
    75
    Shine has a story to reckon with and powerhouse male performances.
  22. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Frank Lovece
    70
    Feel-good tone notwithstanding (and creepy to boot), there are nagging riddles about the Helfgott story that the film has neither the nerve nor the sense to tackle.
  23. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    70
    The gaga uplift in Shine knocks the malaise right out of your head--along with just about everything else.
  24. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    70
    Ceases to be a cogent study of the disease of genius and devolves into two lesser creatures: an ordinary weepie and an Oscar contender.
  25. San Francisco Examiner
    Reviewed by: G. Allen Johnson
    63
    The movie is meant to be uplifting and to the degree that you can ignore its unquestioning treatment of mental illness, I suppose it is.
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. nutterjr
    8
    Geoffrey Rush is phenomenal in this movie, the kind of performance that turns this into a must see film and deservedly won an Oscar among other accolades. Armin Mueller-Stahl is also brilliant and although outshone by Rush, still deserves a mention.… Full Review »
  2. FelixQ.
    9
    Truly a piece of art. So many times are mentally handicapped people- whether having been born that way or later becoming so- portrayed in a very cookie cutter way. I am Sam and The Other Sister come to mind- although these two films are both great in their own respect and fulfill a very important role, Shine goes the route that desperately needed to be explored. I think one thing that sets this apart for me was the format. We don't follow the younger David only to be told *Shock!* he suffers a mental setback! We're not focusing on the fact, either. This film is about the man behind the talent, and the talent that fronts a mental ilness that proved to be David's challenge in place of possibly poverty or a physical disability. We explore the diversity of a character instead of getting pre-occupied by his set-backs. I would say, for me, this missed the 10/10 because it's so very much a product of it's time. Of course, the time stamp is inevitable, but there have been great films that have transcended that- this one did not. But still an amazing piece of art, when all is said and done.… Full Review »
  3. GeorgeM.
    10
    Deep, full of love, perfectly acted and brings up the question: who is really insane?
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