Molière

The Hollywood Reporter Bernard Besserglik

Witty, enjoyable costume drama imagines formative episode in life of French comedy giant.

Variety Lisa Nesselson

Romance, creativity, subterfuge and repartee are among the pleasures to be had in Moliere, a consistently diverting, bittersweet costumer.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

An extravagant and thoroughly irresistible story of intrigue, romance, comedy and artistic inspiration.

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

Sometimes it's fun to put on costumes and wigs and just goof around.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

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.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

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.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

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.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

A Molière this good deserves a more substantive portrait, but this one will do for now.

Village Voice Ella Taylor

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.

The New Yorker Anthony Lane

Yet the film, directed by Laurent Tirard, has something. To be exact, it has Fabrice Luchini and Laura Morante, as M. and Mme. Jourdain.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Bill White

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.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

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.

TV Guide Ken Fox

While none of this is meant to be taken seriously, the premise demeans Moliere's great achievement.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

Moliere transforms into a fuller piece whenever Morante takes center stage.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

It's like a breeze so slight it doesn't leave a tickle.

Chicago Reader Ryan Wenzel

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.

Miami Herald Peter Debruge

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.

New York Post Kyle Smith

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.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

Less forgivably, the movie is dull.

Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt

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.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

The result is as off-putting as biting into a confection in which the sugar has been replaced by salt.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

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.