The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

75% of critics liked it

68% of users liked it

Geoffrey Rush, Charlize Theron
In theaters Jan 01, 2004
Unrated, 2 hr. 9 min.

Movie Info

Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Charlize Theron, Emily Watson, John Lithgow, Miriam Margolyes, Peter Vaughan, Sonia Aquino, Stanley Tucci, Stephen Fry, Henry Goodman
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Rated: Unrated
Running Time: 2 hr. 9 min.
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Theater Release: Jan 01, 2004
DVD Release: May 10, 2005
Synopsis: The often-troubled life of one of the greatest comic actors in the history of the British cinema provides the basis for this biopic. Peter Sellers (Geoffrey Rush) was raised by a domineering mother (Miriam Margolyes) and meek father (Peter Vaughan), and at an early age discovered he liked to hide behind the emotional curtain of playing a character. In time, Sellers put this skill to use as an actor, and discovered he had a great gift for comedy. In the late '50s, Sellers rose to fame on the

Critic Reviews

  • Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
    We get movie scenes within movie scenes, and Rush as Sellers breaking character to become Sellers' mom or Edwards, commenting on Sellers, and it all draws too much attention to itself. More...
  • Todd McCarthy, Variety
    Sustains interest most of the way, but combination of an unsympathetic central figure and patchy recreation of events involving numerous famous people makes for an ambitiously told life story that finally doesn't cut it. More...
  • Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter
    While In Competition entry The Life and Death of Peter Sellers is a wonderfully entertaining film, the one thing that's missing is Sellers' singular ability to be hilarious. More...
  • Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
    "There was no real Peter Sellers"... As a theme, it smells of the tired cop-out, somewhere in the same clubhouse of desiccated phrases as "I love you, but I'm not in love with you" and "In a crazy world, only the mad people are sane." More...
  • Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
    As a showcase for Geoffrey Rush, though, Life and Death is more than worthwhile. More...
  • Dragan Antulov, Draxblog Movie Reviews
    flawed but buscinating tribute More...
  • Jimmy O, Film Snobs
    A great impressionistic piece about an actor's fantasy becoming their reality. Director Hopkins really makes an exciting leap of faith. More...
  • Larry Carroll, FilmStew.com
    The best biopic you're likely to see this year won't be coming to a theater near you. More...
  • Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
    In a brilliant portrayal by Geoffrey Rush, we are given a glimpse of the absurd, extravagant, surreal, lonely, tragic life of a comic genius. More...
  • Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
    If you have no knowledge of Peter Sellers' acting genius, it's difficult to engage with this artfully inventive biography. More...