it still has the high-class dramatic feel you'd expect from something you would have watched on PBS twenty years ago
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03/05/09
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Brideshead Revisited (2008)
64
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:127
Fresh:81
Rotten:46
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: Suspenseful and beautifully mounted, Brideshead Revisited does an able job condensing Evelyn Waugh’s novel.
Theatrical Release:Jul 25, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $6,359,742
Synopsis: Though director Julian Jarrold's adaptation of the Evelyn Waugh novel BRIDESHEAD REVISITED spans decades and continents, it's a taut film that never drags and can excite contemporary audiences.... [More]
Starring: Matthew Goode, Ben Whishaw, Hayley Atwell, Emma Thompson
Director: Julian Jarrold
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Reviews for Brideshead Revisited
Themes of religious oppression, particularly of gay people, are especially pointed and unfortunately still relevant enough today to sting.
07/31/08
It's been fussed over until there's not an inch of life left in the thing, just the glassy pleasures of an instant museum piece.
07/28/08
Certainly passable, but less than spectacular, Brideshead Revisited is an authentic and decent adaptation of a well-known novel, but nothing more.
01/07/09
Plays like a SparkNotes version of a homework assignment you put off until it was too late.
07/31/08
If you're in the market for a veddy British drama and miss seeing Emma Thompson in her natural environment, Brideshead Revisited is a worthwhile two-hour meditation on faith (and the lack thereof).
07/31/08
...more fun than expected, and in its own middlebrow way, peculiarly true to Waugh's own vision.
08/01/08
At just over two hours, the film naturally feels a bit cramped and the most interesting elements are given fairly short shrift.
10/24/08
The film, a distinctly secular take on Waugh’s religiosity, is far more interested in the battle of blind faith vs. rigid unbelief and its devastating effects.
08/01/08
It's rare to find a work that explores issues of faith without veering into religious fundamentalism or militant atheism, which is reason enough to revisit Brideshead one more time.
07/24/08
Jarrold's reduction of the story is so archetypal that it's indistinguishable from soap opera.
08/01/08
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04/23/09
Immaculately costumed, designed and set, the film recreates this cross-section of English high society to perfectioneates this cross-section of English high society to perfection.
07/25/08
Facing incredible odds against it, this pass at conquering Brideshead is a worthy offering to the period-piece gods, presenting British aristocracy with the perfect edge of contempt.
07/24/08
A good film that occasionally verges on greatness, but never quite gets there, this is a respectable adaptation of a much-lauded book that will no doubt find an appreciative audience in time.
10/03/08
The fine acting benefits from luxury casting (Thompson and Michael Gambon as Sebastian's separated parents) and the intensity of Goode and Atwell.
08/01/08
The fine cast includes Emma Thompson as the siblings' gracious but domineering mother, and the location footage of the family's majestic mansion is stunning.
07/25/08
A good, sound example of the British period drama; mid-range Merchant-Ivory, you could say.
07/25/08
Top CriticThompson, Goode and Atwell make for fine screen company, despite [Emma]Thompson's arguable miscasting.
07/24/08
Top CriticA great piece of work in a movie.
07/25/08
Latest News for Brideshead Revisited
January 27, 2009:
Milk Among GLAAD Nominees 
"Milk" has been a favorite on the awards circuit this year, and its hot streak has been extended courtesy of the GLAAD Media Awards, where it will compete in the Outstanding... More...
October 03, 2008:
UK Critics Consensus: How To Lose Friends & Alienate People Does Just That; Whilst Brideshead Revisited Is Resisted
In the UK cinemas this week we have two literary adaptations with Simon Pegg as an irksome hack in How To Lose Friends & Alienate People, and Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited... More...
July 24, 2008:
Critics Consensus: File The X-Files Under "Disappointing"
This week at the movies, we learn that the truth is out there (The X-Files: I Want to Believe, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) and that step-sibling rivalry can be... More...
July 23, 2008:
Matthew Goode Talks Watchmen
He's out promoting Brideshead Revisited, but with a role in Watchmen, Matthew Goode knows what people really want to talk about -- and he was gracious enough to oblige Collider,... More...
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