| 75 |
New York Daily News
Despite the movie's dramatic weaknesses, I was spellbound by the images.
|
| 67 |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Far from a great movie, it nonetheless does its job as a family adventure and saga of a woman's personal growth.
|
| 63 |
Philadelphia Inquirer
Consist of little more than people arguing or clambering in and out of dusty Land Rovers.
|
| 60 |
TV Guide
Though beautifully acted by Basinger (everyone else is relegated to a supporting role), there's a strange vagueness to much of this sumptuous, stunningly photographed melodrama.
|
| 60 |
Time
This film, based on a true story, transcends its handsomeness to present a subtle portrait of a woman's growing consciousness.
|
| 50 |
Portland Oregonian
Basinger herself doesn't have the vibrancy of a female hero.
|
| 50 |
Chicago Sun-Times
There is a lack of drama and telling detail. When events happen, they seem more like set pieces than part of the flow.
|
| 50 |
Chicago Tribune
Marc Caro
Doesn't have much plot. It just sort of meanders around like a wildebeest playing Blind Man's Bluff.
|
| 50 |
San Francisco Examiner
Frill-less almost to the point of minimalist, teary without being lachrymose, hers is a performance you'd think was great were the movie in a language you didn't understand.
|
| 50 |
Charlotte Observer
Like the star's acting, the movie is bland, full of good intentions and generally as stiff as a fireplace poker.
|
| 50 |
Miami Herald
Phoebe Flowers
A wisp of a movie that dissipates the moment you leave the theater.
|
| 50 |
USA Today
While Basinger admirably invests her role with deep passion and looks splendid in her Kenya khakis, the true story she stars in is disappointingly tame and dramatically inert.
|
| 50 |
New York Post
Ends up a nightmare of a star vehicle.
|
| 50 |
San Francisco Chronicle
Surprisingly dull and predictable in its characterizations.
|
| 40 |
LA Weekly
There's little room for Kuki to evolve into anything approaching an actual character, and it would take an actress far greater than Basinger, who gives it her all, to make something of the role.
|
| 39 |
Mr. Showbiz
Why waste the price of a movie ticket when you can see wildebeests cavorting for free from the comfort of your own recliner?
|
| 33 |
Entertainment Weekly
A recitation of woes doesn't constitute a plot, and panoramic shots of migrating wildlife don't convey enough African flavor.
|
| 30 |
Rolling Stone
Plods along in the Oscar-winning, yawn-inducing tradition of "Out of Africa," making me yearn for something less "National Geographic."
|
| 30 |
Chicago Reader
Ultimately the movie is alluring and respectful--its sadness may be what saves it from becoming sensationalist or trite.
|
| 30 |
Film.com
There is no obvious reason for the film's meandering existence: it's a series of beautifully photographed postcards of Africa.
|
| 30 |
Washington Post
The story the film tells ruins the movie.
|
| 30 |
The New York Times
Advance word of mouth has suggested that Ms. Basinger...turns in a performance comparable to Meryl Streep's in "Out of Africa." Would that it were so. Ms. Basinger certainly works hard at her role.
|
| 30 |
TNT RoughCut
A fabulous movie if you are a woman over 40 who likes to use the word "empowered" a lot.
|
| 25 |
Christian Science Monitor
The story is inspirational in a superficial way, but the filmmakers focus so exclusively on their attractive heroine that the picture loses any real connection with Africa.
|
| 25 |
Baltimore Sun
Here's hoping your own dreams of Africa are more interesting -- and better acted -- than this movie.
|
| 20 |
Variety
Visually gratifying but dramatically weak, the film falls short of its aspiration to be a sweeping romantic epic.
|
| 20 |
Dallas Observer
A wobbly Basinger and a feeble screenplay doom I Dreamed of Africa.
|
| 20 |
Austin Chronicle
I Dreamed Of Africa...and all I got was this lousy movie.
|
| 20 |
Village Voice
Hudson keeps the movie rambling and episodic, deferring to the imposing backdrop whenever possible.
|
| 20 |
Los Angeles Times
This is a Laura Ashley on Safari meditation on bored rich people searching for fulfillment and a new life among the photogenic wildlife of Kenya. Just wake me when it's over.
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