58
Metascore
31 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThis Seagull proves a worthy if hardly definitive adaptation of the classic drama.
- 70New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinDespite a few scenes that are too on the nose, The Seagull... turns out to be very fine. Above all, it’s a platform for a handful of definitive performances.
- 70Screen DailyDavid D'ArcyScreen DailyDavid D'ArcyThe Seagull, Anton Chekhov’s classic play about failed hopes and tangled attractions, is solid and satisfying in Michael Mayer’s intimate retelling for the screen.
- 70Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinAlthough the action, set in the early 1900s, unfolds almost entirely in and around a Russian lakeside estate, the film rarely feels static or stagy, with enough brisk editing, active camerawork and intimate framing to make for satisfying cinema.
- 67The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloHe’s (Mayer) assembled a terrific cast and mostly stayed out of their way, but the result still feels frustratingly arm’s-length, lacking the odd electricity of Louis Malle’s semi-staged "Vanya On 42nd Street."
- 50VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeIn a sense, each new take on Chekhov sheds insight on the timelessness of the material, and yet, this one does more to reveal missed opportunities for the next team to explore.
- 50Slant MagazineOleg IvanovSlant MagazineOleg IvanovThe film is content to present Anton Chekhov's ideas rather than grapple with their provocative and complex subtexts.
- 50The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottThe cast is great. The play is great. But this is still a bad movie, because it has no clear or coherent idea of how to be one.
- 50The Associated PressJake CoyleThe Associated PressJake CoyleProductions of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull almost always tip too far into farce or wade too deeply into tragedy, unable to sustain the play’s elusive balancing act. Michael Mayer’s lush and lively big-screen adaption is unfortunately no exception.