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Agnes Browne
October Films

Agnes Browne reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 55 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
N/A out of 10
based on 27 reviews
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MPAA RATING: R for language

Starring Angelica Huston, Marion O'Dwyer, and Niall O'Shea

This is the story of a widow (Huston), living in Dublin in 1967, coping with the emotional turmoil and financial crisis of raising seven children, ages 2-14.


GENRE(S): Drama  
WRITTEN BY: John Goldsmith
Brendan O'Carroll (also novel The Mammy)
 
DIRECTED BY: Angelica Huston  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: August 22, 2000 
Video: August 22, 2000 
Theatrical: December 3, 1999 
RUNNING TIME: 92 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

80
Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson
Those needing their Irish fix will be satisfied and no doubt will leave the theater in far greater spirits.
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80
Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard
Agnes Browne hums along as a series of pleasant vignettes, only frantically shifting to a single narrative track in its third act for the sake of an unbelievably upbeat ending.
75
New York Daily News Jami Bernard
A standout feature of the movie is its representation of female friendship.
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75
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Modest and prosaic, with an unfortunate fairy-tale ending (yes, it features Tom Jones).
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75
Philadelphia Inquirer Desmond Ryan
Even though the soap employed is Irish Spring, this is still a soap opera.
67
Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
Anges has nothing but affection for its characters and fondness for their quirkiness.
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63
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
It flies apart when it clumsily introduces humor at a funeral or an application for death benefits.
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63
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
This is a modest but likable film, and Anjelica Huston plays a heroine who makes us smile.
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63
New York Post Lou Lumenick
A satisfying Irish stew made from very familiar ingredients.
63
Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
A bawdy comedy that convincingly celebrates the resilience of the urban poor and the power of friendship in the teeth of despair.
63
Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
A pleasant little confection that leaves behind the sneaking suspicion it should have amounted to so much more.
60
Los Angeles Times Jan Stuart
Huston is a sucker for sentiment, and Agnes Browne is a sap's holiday.
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60
TV Guide Ken Fox
Huston, with a flawless Irish accent, is simply wonderful as the tough, foul-mouthed and very funny Agnes Browne.
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60
Film.com Ernest Hardy
It is -- in mood, execution, and shameless sentimentality -- a Bette Midler movie with an Irish accent.
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60
Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
A generally well-made tale of humor and hard luck.
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60
The New York Times Stephen Holden
Has an episodic rhythm and little dramatic tension.
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60
LA Weekly Chuck Wilson
Anjelica Huston, a gifted and sometimes extraordinary actress, has given herself the title role in her second outing as director---a bitof miscasting for which the director, and not the actress, must be blamed
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60
Time Richard Schickel
There are a reserve and a realism in Huston's work that make her very modest film more affecting than you might expect.
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58
Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
Though the film occasionally rises to moments of genuine emotion and wit, it slips appallingly into corniness and hokum before coming to an abrupt and unconvincing end.
50
USA Today Staff [Not Credited]
Great slabs of blarney are washed down with tears and Guinness in this yarn about a struggling Irish clan, and the resulting sentiment is blatant enough to wake Ned Devine.
50
Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector
The movie's strength is in its comedy; a tragic subplot feels merely manipulative.
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50
San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann
Floats along on the strength of its writing and supporting cast.
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50
Boston Globe Jay Carr
There's nothing really wrong with Agnes Browne, except a tendency to take a few easy, convenient outs.
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50
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
The material is familiar and the ending is corny, but Huston's acting and directing keep the comedy-drama likable if not very imaginative.
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38
San Francisco Examiner Walter Addiego
The jokes run hot, cold and tepid.
30
Village Voice Michael Atkinson
Soft-boiled blarney so sluttish with Hollywood clichés it could've been made in Burbank.
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30
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
A character-driven piece with a character who seems somewhat hollow.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 0.0 (out of 10) based on 0 User Votes
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