46
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversBased on William Boyd's 1981 novel, the film has a touch of Evelyn Waugh — though the satire is served dry, it has still got a kick.
- All of it plays a bit phony. Perhaps something was lost in the transition from book to film. The movie was adapted by novelist William Boyd himself, but it feels like it's missing something, maybe a narrative voice that gave all the coincidence and silliness some sense.
- 50Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertI was not bored during A Good Man in Africa. Just uncomfortable, as the characters thrashed about in search of a purpose.
- 50ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThe problem with the film is that it's frequently more tedious than funny.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleConnery's charm and integrity make all his scenes worthwhile, and Lithgow's stiff-backed turn as the classic British imperialist is in good fun.
- 50Washington PostHal HinsonWashington PostHal HinsonWith its widely acclaimed source material and a cast of distinguished actors, A Good Man in Africa held the possibility of being a welcome departure from the ordinary. Instead, ordinary is what it rises to at its best.
- The imposing Sean Connery lends an undeserved dignity to A Good Man in Africa, an otherwise unpleasant and cringe-worthy cinematic botch of William Boyd's 1981 novel about the misadventures of British diplomats in a newly independent West African nation.
- 40EmpireKim NewmanEmpireKim NewmanUnforgivably terrible.
- 40VarietyLeonard KladyVarietyLeonard KladyIt stakes out Our Man in Havana territory in its ironic tone, but it's not nearly as humorous or as successful in delivering up a satisfying soupcon of caustic wit. Commercial prospects are tepid for what's essentially a shaggy dog story.
- 33Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumDisappointingly tired, unfunny, and disengaged.