49
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyLos Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyThough the issues are heavy, the execution is light, enjoyable, but it keeps Elsa & Fred closer to "Sleepless in Seattle" than Fellini's deliciously deep Roman affair.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenMs. MacLaine and Mr. Plummer make an especially compatible match, because his understated portrayal of a despairing misanthrope reins in her scenery-chewing exhibitionism.
- 60Village VoiceSherilyn ConnellyVillage VoiceSherilyn ConnellyThis occasionally charming November-December romance has elements of a Douglas Sirk woman's weepie... but the movie eventually goes into Woody Allen territory in the best way possible.
- 50Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-TimesPlummer and MacLaine are, of course, consummate talents, but they’re left coasting in a film that provides each with the barest of character sketches.
- 50USA TodayClaudia PuigUSA TodayClaudia PuigThe corny love story is all the more disappointing given the pedigree of the octogenarian actors.
- 40The DissolveKeith PhippsThe DissolveKeith PhippsRadford’s pacing, which alternates between “stately” and “deathly,” keeps robbing the film of any momentum, and for every charming moment between the two leads, the film offers annoying bits of overstatement.
- Despite the presence of Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer, both sprightly and appealing in the lead roles, this misfire of a cornball romance is so tone-deaf, so utterly lacking in screwball snap and visual punch, that viewers will find it hard to care whether or not the aging lovebirds end up in each other’s arms.
- 30VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangFor a movie that’s ostensibly about casting off the shackles of old age and embracing excitement in life, there isn’t a single moment here that feels original or spontaneous.