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W.E.

W.E. (2011)

tomatometer

4

Average Rating: 4/10
Critic Reviews: 25
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 24

No consensus yet.

audience

59

liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 2,442

My Rating

Movie Info

W.E. tells the story of two fragile but determined women - Wally Winthrop and Wallis Simpson - separated by more than six decades. In 1998, lonely New Yorker Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish) is obsessed with what she perceives as the ultimate love story: King Edward's VIII's abdication of the British throne for the woman he loved, American divorcée Wallis Simpson. But Wally's research, including several visits to the Sotheby's auction of the Windsor Estate, reveals that the couple's life together

R, 1 hr. 58 min.

Drama, Romance

Madonna, Alek Keshishian

$0.2M

The Weinstein Company

W.E. Trailer & Photos

More Photos (13)
More Trailers and Videos (9)

Cast

Critic Reviews for W.E.

All Critics (80) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (70)

The production is nice looking, and telling the Edward-and-Wallis story from her side is an interesting idea, but it's one that Madonna simply can't pull off here.

February 16, 2012 Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | Comment
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A movie that's less about people than the fetishistic obsession with style.

February 10, 2012 Full Review Source: Washington Post | Comment
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

"W.E." is not awful. It looks quite nice at times, and Riseborough delivers an exquisite if overdrawn performance as Wallis.

February 10, 2012 Full Review Source: Detroit News | Comment
Tom Long
Detroit News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

As a director, Madonna has flair without ability, but she does have flair.

February 9, 2012 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | Comment
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Madonna the director deserves a script better than the one Madonna the screenwriter handed off to her.

February 9, 2012 Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | Comment
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

[It] tries awfully hard. In the end it tries our patience.

February 9, 2012 Full Review Source: Boston Globe | Comment
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
Top Critic IconTop Critic

To start by answering the only question most people probably care about very much: Arianne Phillips's costumes are pretty great, all right.

February 20, 2012 Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | Comment
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

Madonna, for all her faults, cast this self-funded feature with uncharacteristic cinematic poise. Otherwise, though, it's a disappointment

February 15, 2012 Full Review Source: The National | Comment
Ed Gibbs
The National Source: The National

a glossy mess with no discernable point of view; a gluttonous feast of self-pity by women with a total lack of self-awareness

February 13, 2012 Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | Comment
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

Madonna directs mature, uneven drama; some domestic abuse.

February 10, 2012 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Sandie Angulo Chen
Common Sense Media

At least give Madonna credit for playing the Sex Pistols' 'Pretty Vacant' on the soundtrack. 'W.E.' is film as auction catalog come-to-life.

February 10, 2012 Full Review Source: Boston Herald | Comment
James Verniere
Boston Herald

If it's not quite the unholy mess that the reviews have promised, there's no question that this is a sloppy, hubristic affair.

February 10, 2012 Full Review Source: Film School Rejects | Comment
Robert Levin
Film School Rejects

The best thing that can be said about "W.E." is that as failed bits of year-end Oscar bait involving England in the 20th century go, it is better than "The Iron Lady." Unfortunately, it isn't that much better.

February 9, 2012 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment
Peter Sobczynski
eFilmCritic.com

"W.E." is a mess, but it's certainly an attractive one; the characters are underdeveloped, yet so relentlessly art- directed that at least there's always something lovely to look at.

February 9, 2012 Full Review Source: Seattle Times | Comment
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times

Finally, a Hollywood feature directed by someone who's performed live at the Super Bowl halftime show.

February 9, 2012 Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | Comment
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

W.E. may be Madonna's second directorial effort, but she still tells a story like a virgin.

February 9, 2012 Full Review Source: RedEye | Comment
Matt Pais
RedEye Source: RedEye

If Madonna wants to move into directing then she should get someone else to write the scripts. She has a fine visual eye, but she seems at a loss on how to put together an entertaining story.

February 4, 2012 Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | Comment
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs

...rising young English actress Andrea Riseborough ("Never Let Me Go," "Brighton Rock") is astonishingly good as American divorcee Wallis Simpson, like a diamond set in tin.

February 4, 2012 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | Comment
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for W.E.

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Though the directing was a little all over the place for my taste, it was an engaging story well acted.

February 21, 2012
Craig Dylan Wyatt
Craig Dylan Wyatt

It was brilliant. When the critics give Haywire an 80 and WE a 13, it's time to stop reading the critics. If Madonna had the good sense not to put her name on it, It would have been in the 80s at least. It was a beautiful, complex, and very revealing movie and I loved it. 5 stars.

February 21, 2012
Rick Kreher
Rick Kreher

W.E. Quotes

View All

    1. Wallis Simpson: Darling, they can't hurt you unless you let them.
    – Submitted by Mitch Z (4 months ago)

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Latest News for W.E.

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Foreign Titles

  • W.E. (DE)
  • W.E. (UK)
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