Woman in Gold

Name: Woman in Gold
Genre: Drama
Released: April 1, 2015
Duration: 109 min
Rating: 51
Cast: Charles Dance, Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth McGovern, Helen Mirren, Jonathan Pryce

2015

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 112 Ratings

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7.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 112 Ratings

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Woman In Gold

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Movie Details & Credits

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: April 1, 2015 | PG-13

Starring: Charles Dance, Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth McGovern, Helen Mirren, Jonathan Pryce, Katie Holmes, Max Irons, Ryan Reynolds, Tatiana Maslany

Summary: Sixty years after she fled Vienna during World War II, an elderly Jewish woman, Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), starts her journey to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis, among them Klimt's famous painting 'The Lady in Gold'. Together with her inexperienced but plucky young lawyer Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), she embarks uponSixty years after she fled Vienna during World War II, an elderly Jewish woman, Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), starts her journey to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis, among them Klimt's famous painting 'The Lady in Gold'. Together with her inexperienced but plucky young lawyer Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), she embarks upon a major battle which takes them all the way to the heart of the Austrian establishment and the U.S. Supreme Court, and forces her to confront difficult truths about the past along the way. [TWC]… Expand

Director: Simon Curtis

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 109 min

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Critic Reviews

Rex Reed

Apr 1, 2015

It’s a touching film that entertains with warmth and humor while teaching us something about history, law and justice with enormous heart, subtlety and compassion, brilliantly acted and skillfully written. Is there anything Helen Mirren cannot do? Read full review

James Berardinelli

Apr 2, 2015

Woman in Gold is arguably of more interest for its historical perspective than for its drama. Although there is some suspense in the courtroom proceedings, no one would mistake this for the next "To Kill a Mockingbird" or "The Verdict." Read full review

Leah Greenblatt

Apr 2, 2015

Even Helen Mirren, the Queen Midas of class acting, can’t fix this well-intentioned miss. Read full review

A.A. Dowd

Apr 1, 2015

An early contender for the most Weinstein movie of the year, Woman In Gold bends a complicated legal quagmire—heavy on questions of ownership and national responsibility—into a crowd-pleasing David and Goliath story. The title, too generic for Klimt’s masterpiece, suits the movie just fine. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Apr 2, 2015

It’s a labored film thanks to trite dialogue, to interesting characters like a “good Austrian” journalist (Daniel Bruhl) who wants his country held accountable who are given short shrift, and to the many court scenes have a hint of humor, but no spark. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

Apr 1, 2015

It's regrettable that Woman in Gold is no more than adequate, more old-fashioned Hollywoodization than incisive modern dramatization. Read full review

The Playlist Jessica Kiang

Feb 19, 2015

Is it fair to make Woman in Gold representative of the failings of the whole historical-true-story-designed-to-remind-an-older-skewing-middle-class-white-audience-that-people-have-triumphed-over-adversity genre? Perhaps not, but as one of its most egregious and fallacious examples, it's as good a line to draw in the sand as any. Read full review

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User Reviews

Mary805

May 15, 2015

I have to say I completely agree with Brewster, I almost skipped this movie because the reviews were 50/50. Maybe it was because I went in with lower expectations but I LOVED this movie.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

barbidoll31

May 19, 2015

Without a doubt, this was the most compelling movie I can remember watching in years. I can't believe that anyone could view this without being emotionally affected. The screenplay was absolute mastery. Both Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds gave riveting performances. I was viscerallyWithout a doubt, this was the most compelling movie I can remember watching in years. I can't believe that anyone could view this without being emotionally affected. The screenplay was absolute mastery. Both Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds gave riveting performances. I was viscerally engaged throughout the whole movie. I gasped with joy at the final court verdict even though I already knew what it would be. I laughed, I cried, I begged for more. Of course the fact that the movie was based on a true story intensified all of my reactions. For me, this was not one more movie about the Holocaust, it was a movie about the human spirit and how we are drawn to define and re-define ourselves, and the powerful impact we have on our reality when we dare to do that fearlessly. This is a must-know story, and a must-see film, in my opinion. I dare you to view it and not come out of the theater with a sincere desire to do more, be better, and expand your existence. There isn't enough praise...… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

brewster

Apr 3, 2015

My wife and I use Metacritic religiously to guide us in our near weekly movie selection. This was a movie we both opted for before checking the Metacritic score. My wife and I both adore Helen Mirren, and my several in my family were Holocaust survivors. While we often concur withMy wife and I use Metacritic religiously to guide us in our near weekly movie selection. This was a movie we both opted for before checking the Metacritic score. My wife and I both adore Helen Mirren, and my several in my family were Holocaust survivors. While we often concur with Metacritic, there are often major misses. Most of them are of the film festival award winners, produced to impress movie critics rather than entertain moviegoers. The best example was Tree of Life, which had a near 100 Metacritic score but we absolutely hated. Woman in Gold was the opposite. Perhaps it was our fondness for Mirren. Perhaps it was my Holocaust sensitivity (I went to my ancestral home, Poland, last year, and visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, where we believe family members were murdered). But we LOVED this movie. I am the emotional one and cried like a baby. Because it is a true story and portrayed reasonably realistically, it is impossible not to enjoy this movie. Please go see it.… Expand

11 of 12 users found this helpful111

brooklyntaylor

Dec 12, 2021

Woman In Gold is a wonderful movie if you like historical films based off true stories. It is a family friendly film about a woman who is trying to get back her families famous painting of her aunt Adele, that was stolen by the Nazis during WW2.Personally I think this movie has a solid plotWoman In Gold is a wonderful movie if you like historical films based off true stories. It is a family friendly film about a woman who is trying to get back her families famous painting of her aunt Adele, that was stolen by the Nazis during WW2.Personally I think this movie has a solid plot and lots of interesting and accurate facts about WW2.The movie is also well written and the actors portray their characters very well. Over all this is a well made film with a moving story.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TVJerry

Apr 13, 2015

This is based on the true quest of Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), who left behind her family's art collection in Vienna when she fled the Nazi occupation. Sixty years later, she hires a young lawyer (Ryan Reynolds) to help her reclaim it, including the most famous painting, Gustav Klimt'sThis is based on the true quest of Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), who left behind her family's art collection in Vienna when she fled the Nazi occupation. Sixty years later, she hires a young lawyer (Ryan Reynolds) to help her reclaim it, including the most famous painting, Gustav Klimt's "The Lady in Gold." All the fundamentals of a prestige film are here: a cast with chops, a noble cause, insurmountable odds and a troubled history (which alternates with the modern crusade). It has the potential and the outward traits of a stirring drama, but the writing is flat, the relationships are uninteresting and the emotion never hits home. While the story is appealing, the movie doesn't live up to the quality potential.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

tvnewsguido

Jul 4, 2015

An imperfect telling of a mostly true story makes for an okay movie.

The back story is compelling. It's full of mean Nazis and persecuted families caught up in horrific events. The "present day" portions (actually set in 1998) of the movie are not as well put together. A woman and anAn imperfect telling of a mostly true story makes for an okay movie.

The back story is compelling. It's full of mean Nazis and persecuted families caught up in horrific events. The "present day" portions (actually set in 1998) of the movie are not as well put together. A woman and an inexperienced, down-on-his-luck lawyer takes an entire country to court to get back a painting of her aunt stolen by the Nazis.

Helen Mirren shines as does Tatiana Maslany. Ryan Reynolds is just okay in this one. He serves his purpose but the performance doesn't really stand out.

The primary problem I had with the film is that it never managed to manipulate me into feeling anything very deeply. With a story like this, I should've been in tears and cheering.

If you like a good period piece/courtroom movie and enjoy watching Mirren strut and fret, you should like this film.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

airxson

Nov 23, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. the facts, as presented in the movie.

the old jewish woman claimed she wasn't doing it for the money, but for justice.

she said the museum claimed that her aunt donated the painting to them in her will, but that she had never confirmed that, because she had never seen the will herself, nor did her jewish attorney.

then, they found the will and confirmed it was genuine. she & her

attorney both found out that the museum was telling the truth. it was
indeed her aunt's wishes that the painting be donated to the museum--a
place in the public view, in austria (her aunt's birthplace), and as a gift to the austrian people and the rest of the world, if they visited the museum.

the painting was considered by the austrian people to be one of their most beloved artworks.

through a technicality initiated by her jewish attorney, the old jewish woman
got the painting back, took it out of austria, sold it to a private
investor for $130 million and kept the money. and when she died, she
kept the money in her jewish family by willing all of it back to her immediate relatives.

she overrode her aunt's final wishes, removed the painting from the
museum and kept the money for herself & her family members.

but, again, as the old jewish woman said in the movie--it's not about the money.

sure it isn't. sure it isn't.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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