Stealing Beauty

1996

Stealing Beauty

Critics Consensus

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52%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 50

75%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 20,821

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Movie Info

This beautiful if ponderous soufflé of a film from director Bernardo Bertolucci serves more as an Italian travelogue than a drama. Liv Tyler stars as Lucy Harmon, an American teenager arriving in the lush Tuscan countryside to visit family friends residing there. Lucy visited four years earlier and exchanged a kiss with a handsome boy with whom she hopes to become reacquainted. Lucy's mother has committed suicide since then, and the teenager also hopes to discover the identity of her father, whom her mother hinted was a resident of the villa. Once she arrives, Lucy meets a variety of eccentric visitors, including a dying gay playwright (Jeremy Irons), a sculptor (Donal McCann), an entertainment lawyer (D.W. Moffet), and several others. Lucy has decided to lose her virginity and becomes an object of intense interest to the men of the household, but the suitor she finally selects is not the initial object of her affection. Stealing Beauty boasted an intriguing parallel between actress Tyler's role and her real life. The daughter of a famed rock and roll star, she was brought up believing that her father was someone else, a fact that Bertolucci may have had in mind when writing the story. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Cast

Jeremy Irons
as Alex Parrish
Liv Tyler
as Lucy Harmon
Sinead Cusack
as Diana Grayson
Donal McCann
as Ian Grayson
Jean Marais
as M. Guillaume
D.W. Moffett
as Richard Reed
Stefania Sandrelli
as Noemi
Rachel Weisz
as Miranda Fox
Carlo Cecchi
as Carlo Lisca
Joseph Fiennes
as Christopher Fox
Jason Flemyng
as Gregory
Anna-Maria Gherardi
as Chiarella Donati
Ignazio Oliva
as Osvaldo Donati
Francesco Siciliano
as Michele Lisca
Leonardo Treviglio
as Lieutenant
Rebecca Valpy
as Daisy Grayson
Alessandra Vanzi
as Marta
Mary Jo Sorgani
as Maria
Roberto Zibetti
as Niccolo Donati
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Critic Reviews for Stealing Beauty

All Critics (50) | Top Critics (13)

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Audience Reviews for Stealing Beauty

  • May 22, 2009
    Liv Tyler goes to Italy with the intention of losing her virginity, "finding herself" and discovering who her Dad was in this arthouse gumpf. I think she managed to do all of the above, after an hour I got bored and found better things to do, so it was just on in the background.
    Marcus W Super Reviewer
  • Mar 29, 2009
    This film blew me away. The hurt, love and pain expressed in this movie through the most simple way of cinematography is amazing. A classical film of life and death, of love and pain. One of Liv Lylers best acting jobs. I think that this is a film that maybe Americans won't really understand. Its very European in the way the individual characters interact. A must see for anyone who demands detail in a film. Its not just a love or romance film. Its about life in its purest form, about peoples imperfections and their desires. It brings out human nature as its over all theme. Liv Tyler as Lucy was beautiful, and Bertolucci used her right. It was basically only her movie, everyone else is minor. Jeremy Irons also acted quite well. Rest of the cast wasn't bad either, except Rachel Weisz. Somehow she didn't quite fit into the whole thing. A must to see !!
    Daisy M Super Reviewer
  • Oct 27, 2008
    Liv Tyler plays Lucy who arrives in Tuscany to meet family, be sculpted, find out who her father is and to lose her virginity. Liv is quite beautiful as is the Italian countryside, and coming of age stories are always fun, but this movie is tastefully done.
    Red L Super Reviewer
  • Feb 20, 2008
    Beautiful story.. the cinematography was amazing.. Bertolucci knows how to make the audience feel like they are part of the story.. Jeremy Irons is brilliant and Liv Tyler gives an amazing,mature performance..
    Lea L Super Reviewer
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