65
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83The Film StageZhuo-Ning SuThe Film StageZhuo-Ning SuAn overlong mid-section stagnates after the novelty of the premise wears off, but a couple of plot twists late in the game raise the stakes again and Xiaogang Feng, with his signature dry humor and newfound creative juices, hits too many marks on this one for it to disappoint.
- 80Screen DailyDavid D'ArcyScreen DailyDavid D'ArcyThe film’s look is as striking as Fan’s performance.
- 75Washington PostMark JenkinsWashington PostMark JenkinsAlthough it’s intended as a satire, director Feng Xiaogang’s movie has a literary tone, a leisurely pace and relatively few laugh-out-loud moments. It captures not only Lian’s frustration, but also the exasperation of the authorities who must deal with the demanding woman during her 11-year quest for justice.
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyLong, relatively low-key but always engaging, I Am Not Madame Bovary wears its expansive scale lightly.
- 70Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayLos Angeles TimesNoel MurrayThe hyper-dramatic touches help disguise that this is essentially a film about paperwork. The rest of the weight is carried by Fan, who’s funny and heartbreaking. She’s a hero for our times: a stubborn woman, willing to inconvenience the powerful to get a fair hearing.
- 67The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloFans of both non-action Asian cinema and stifling bureaucratic nightmares, your long wait is finally over.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThe Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThe sarcasm of superstar director Feng Xiaogang reduces Chinese bureaucracy, the legal system and government inefficiency to ashes in I Am Not Madame Bovary, but risks doing the same for audiences in a caustic, overlong satire whose coy visual effects overpower the story and characters.
- 50Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreThe acting is rarely broad and Fan Bingbing delivers a credible haplessness in Lian. The broader comedy translates well-enough.
- 50The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyThere’s some intriguing social commentary in the Chinese comedic melodrama I Am Not Madame Bovary.... But appreciating it, and the other points of interest in the movie, requires a perhaps unusual amount of patience, or even indulgence.
- 50The Seattle TimesTom KeoghThe Seattle TimesTom KeoghThe script by Liu Zhenyun becomes ponderous and redundant, kept on oxygen by its lead actress’s complex performance as a child-woman with enigmatic wisdom.