Its scope is broad -- it has three flashbacks in the first 10 minutes before sticking with the 1920s and 1930s -- but its focus is sharp.
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07/31/08
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Brideshead Revisited (2008)
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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
[A] slowly paced, uninvolving 'revisitation' of Waugh's novel.
07/31/08
Those impatient with Anglophilia may grow restless, but the film often visually enchants, and it’s chockablock with themes that transcend period: sexuality, class, religion, love, addiction and most of all, family.
07/31/08
Themes of religious oppression, particularly of gay people, are especially pointed and unfortunately still relevant enough today to sting.
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
Plays like a SparkNotes version of a homework assignment you put off until it was too late.
07/31/08
So many of the right ingredients, but an uneven last act and the 2nd act loss of the film's two main engines, Whishaw & Thompson, drags Brideshead Revisited down from what could've been a very lofty height.
07/30/08
If you don't have time to savor the 300-plus pages of Evelyn Waugh's 1945 novel or all 11 hours of the 1981 British miniseries, then a quick gulp of this 135-minute adaptation might suffice.
07/30/08
Some of the set piece scenes are so astonishingly crafted they look like impressionist paintings. I wouldn't have believed it, but I really enjoyed this movie.
07/29/08
The celebrated Evelyn Waugh novel and 1981 BBC miniseries Brideshead Revisited have put the unusually titled story into cultural consciousness. The adapted miniseries brought the characters to life and cemented the epic journey of class awareness.
07/29/08
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
Yes, it’s a compressed version, but I found it very enjoyable.
07/28/08
Top CriticIntelligently adapted and impeccably directed with superb performances, it's a pensive, melancholy evocation of the far-better mini-series that's now available on DVD.
07/27/08
A sumptuous romantic drama that honors its literary source and deeply satisfies.
07/27/08
If it's a choice between the movie's 135 minutes or the 659 minutes of the miniseries, I'd say it's no choice at all. The shorter version is the one that seems long.
07/25/08
Top CriticThe saga ultimately lacks the emotional wallop of the TV version. But its clever writing, strong performances and sumptuous production design make for a rich experience nonetheless.
07/25/08
With a masterfully economical screenplay by Jeremy Davies, Jarrold's version of Waugh's novel wastes no time with subtleties.
07/25/08
Director Julian Jarrold and writers Jeremy Brock and Andrew Davies have not surpassed their predecessors, but neither have they done any lasting damage with their interpretation of the 1945 novel.
07/25/08
A very noble movie, which makes it interesting at times, but not often enough.
07/25/08
Even clothed in linen and flannel and tweed, the absurdities of Brideshead Revisited can never be entirely hidden.
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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