Based on a True Story

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 8 Critics

See All

43

RELEASE DATE: TBA

Based on a True Story

Movie Details & Credits

Not Rated

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: TBA

Summary: A writer goes through a tough period after the release of her latest book, as she gets involved with an obsessive admirer.

Director: Roman Polanski

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 110 min

See All Details and Credits

Awards & Rankings

Watch Now

Metascore

Critic Reviews

80

Screen International - Jonathan Romney

May 27, 2017

Polanski and the supremely genre-savvy Assayas know exactly what they’re doing, and whenever you think you’ve seen it all before, you realise they’re actually doing something else entirely – the film is an expertly navigated maze of misdirection. Read full review

70

The Hollywood Reporter - Deborah Young

May 27, 2017

There are multiple levels on which to enjoy Roman Polanski’s Based on a True Story (D’Apres une histoire vraie), none of them very deep or complicated. But together they raise the resonance of a masterfully made psychological thriller in the traditional mode. Read full review

58

The Film Stage - Giovanni Marchini Camia

May 28, 2017

Polanski sleepwalks his way through the film, manifesting precious little of the skill and invention that fueled the slow-burn suspense and sinister atmospheres of superficially similar works such as Rosemary’s Baby and Repulsion. Read full review

40

The Guardian - Peter Bradshaw

May 27, 2017

This is a movie which begins with confidence and style, wearing its influences pretty insouciantly; the film sashays about the screen with a kind of sexy-chic smirk, like the unvarying facial expression of its co-lead Eva Green. But it wobbles at the brink of plot-holes which undermine the vital realistic plausibility of a film like this. Read full review

40

Variety - Peter Debruge

May 27, 2017

Although the screenplay contains all the beats needed to generate tension, Assayas’ gift for conveying information between the lines is almost entirely lost on Polanski, who doesn’t give his actresses the opportunity to flesh out the subtext of their most awkward interactions. Read full review

33

The Playlist - Nikola Grozdanovic

May 27, 2017

It’s one of the director’s worst films, if not the worst. Read full review

20

The Telegraph - Robbie Collin

May 27, 2017

Nothing in this feeble psychological thriller rings true for a moment, though its unhinged machinations feel as pedestrian as soap opera in execution. Read full review

SEE ALL 8 REVIEWS

No reviews yet.

More From Metacritic

Cannes Recap: Critics React to the 2017 Festival's Biggest Debuts

Our recap of the 70th Cannes Film Festival includes a list of award...

2019 Sundance Film Festival Recap

What are the best films from 2019's Sundance Festival? Find capsule...

Best of January 2019: Top Albums, Games, Movies & TV

These were the best new videogames, movies, albums, and TV shows...

DVD/Blu-ray Release Calendar: February 2019

Find a complete guide to TV and movie titles heading to Blu-ray and DVD...

Current Movie Releases

By MetascoreBy Userscore

1 88 A Star Is Born

2 87 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

3 71 Ralph Breaks the Internet

SEE ALL

More From Based on a True Story

SEE ALL TRAILERS