Before Sunrise

Name: Before Sunrise
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: January 27, 1995
Duration: 105 min
Rating: 77
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

1995

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 365 Ratings

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8.6

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8.6	User Score Universal acclaim based on 365 Ratings

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Before Sunrise

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Movie Details & Credits

Columbia Pictures | Release Date: January 27, 1995 | R

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

Summary: A romantic look at the relationship between an American traveler and a French grad student who decide to spend a day together in Vienna.

Director: Richard Linklater

Genre(s): Drama, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 105 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

James Berardinelli

Before Sunrise speaks as much to the mind as to the heart, and much of what it says is likely to strike a responsive chord -- a rare and special accomplishment for any motion picture. Read full review

100

Christopher Harris

Before Sunrise is a film that first startles you with its simplicity, then bowls you over with its complexity. Read full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Richard Linklater goes Hollywood (1995) -- triumphantly and with an overall intelligence, sweetness, and romantic simplicity that reminds me of wartime weepies like The Clock. Read full review

David Sterritt

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are attractive stars, but what's most appealing about the picture is the value it puts on sharing ideas and feelings through language. Read full review

Roger Ebert

Before Sunrise is so much like real life - like a documentary with an invisible camera - that I found myself remembering real conversations I had experienced with more or less the same words. Read full review

Peter Rainer

There's nothing much to the movie, except for the amiability of the actors and the layers of feeling Linklater provides, but that's just almost enough. Read full review

Todd McCarthy

While pic remains sympathetic and appealing, the endless dialogue and repetitive settings become wearing through the couple's one long night together, and the artifice of the premise may contribute to the difficulty the film has in coming to romantic life. Read full review

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User Reviews

JerryB.

Jul 4, 2008

One of the greatest movies ever made! The scene in the music booth is priceless!

0 of 0 users found this helpful

decentginting

Apr 27, 2020

Just beautiful. Maybe, technically as a movie, it's not that good. But for me, it gives me happiness. It gives maked me smile, it gives me an indescribable feelings that keep telling me that life is going to be fine. Love it!

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

TheFloydster

Aug 14, 2010

Beautiful, one of the best films I have ever seen. The naive optimism of love and intelligent honest dialogue was amazing. Anyone who has fallen in love and has been optimistic of the future will love it.

6 of 6 users found this helpful60

seancriswell

Apr 10, 2013

The story could not be more simplistic. An American Male meets a French Female on a train and asks her to spend the evening with him in Vienna. What is not simplistic is the wonderful characters, and exceptional dialogue in Linklater's film. It is obvious that Jesse (Hawke) and CelineThe story could not be more simplistic. An American Male meets a French Female on a train and asks her to spend the evening with him in Vienna. What is not simplistic is the wonderful characters, and exceptional dialogue in Linklater's film. It is obvious that Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) have a connection after their first conversation. As their day progresses their connection to each other deepens as does our connection with them. Before Sunrise is so special because we are not manipulated into connecting with them through tragedy, or violence, or sex. We connect with them as we do with people in everyday life, through the life experiences they share with us little by little as our relationship grows. This is true intimacy and is beautifully achieved here.

The intimate, personal moments that Jesse and Celine share throughout the film are sprinkled amidst a plethora of other conversations during their night together. They discuss everything from palm reading to dancing, the conversation is never boring and never unnecessary. They don't agree on everything and through that disagreement we we are invited further into their personalities as their connection grows. Jesse and Celine do interact with other characters in the course of the film. Linklater perfectly blends these interactions as well. The supporting characters add to the film without over powering the main characters. These characters are also just odd enough to further strengthen Jesse and Celine's connection as kindred spirits, without ever becoming caricatures.

Before Sunrise is a beautiful film. It made me want to rush off to Europe and spend aimless evenings wandering around foreign cities looking for romance. I suppose I will have to settle for revisiting this film and these characters in the future.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

RedOwlReviews

Jul 11, 2013

(skip to the last paragraph for a concise one-sentence summary and a number)
Before Sunrise is a film that is magical in a unique way; it talks with the viewer. That said, the film does not literally converse with the audience. However, the way the film progresses and the conversations held(skip to the last paragraph for a concise one-sentence summary and a number)
Before Sunrise is a film that is magical in a unique way; it talks with the viewer. That said, the film does not literally converse with the audience. However, the way the film progresses and the conversations held by the protagonists make us feel like a comfortable third wheel. It’s like we’re walking along by our protagonists (and director Richard Linklater, since he has spilled so much uch of his persona and soul into this artistic venture it feels like we already know him) through Vienna.
Another highlight of this film is the powerful chemistry that the protagonists share. It’s as if there is an innate connection between the two that has just now been discovered like siblings separated at birth (although not quite for romantic reasons). Their spontaneity and inquisitive, skeptical approach towards life and people clicks like a lock. This pitch-perfect compatibility motivates the film and makes for a very moving conclusion as time runs out before sunrise.
The film is very talkative, I will not deny that. At some points, it also lingers as the conversations drift into simple chatter and the plotline seems to have no clear direction. However, no moment in the film is wasted, as every conversation further develops each character's personality as well as their sweet relationship.
In conclusion, this is what I have to say: Before Sunrise is a magical and enlightening gift to anyone who views it and has enough patience to make it through the dragging conversations between its lovers. Before you know it, the film will be talking to you more loudly than the protagonists talk to each other.

FINAL SCORE: 82.5 (excitingly great -----o--------------- almost perfect)… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Mr-Liberal-LDS

Feb 2, 2013

In Before Sunrise we have an intriguing and alluring physical attraction and intellectual interest between two characters that “destiny” has united on a train. We follow them through an exhilaratingly spontaneous evening as their youthfully curious sensual dynamism develops. Their dialogueIn Before Sunrise we have an intriguing and alluring physical attraction and intellectual interest between two characters that “destiny” has united on a train. We follow them through an exhilaratingly spontaneous evening as their youthfully curious sensual dynamism develops. Their dialogue is interesting and sincere, and their attraction is sweet and sort of nostalgia-evoking. For a slow and very talky romantic movie, I really enjoyed it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

sarahf

Mar 26, 2009

I would rather have you poop in my mouth than to have to watch this again

0 of 4 users found this helpful

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18	#18 Best Movie of 1995
14	#14 Most Discussed Movie of 1995
11	#11 Most Shared Movie of 1995