Bel Ami 2012

Mary F. Pols, TIME Magazine: Pattinson portrays a man who has no moral code and gets to have tons of sex, with various women of smart Parisian society, played by the likes of Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci and Kristen Scott Thomas. Yet mysteriously, the tedium continues. Read more

Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: ...a relentlessly leaden rethink of the rollicking tale of opportunism and social-climbing in late 19th-century Paris Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: Although this is potentially juicy stuff, it is as dry and tasteless as a shrunken piece of fruit left in the refrigerator far too long. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Good actors flit in and out of the movie - particularly Kristin Scott Thomas and Colm Meaney - but no one seems able to conquer the essential silliness of it all... Read more

Noel Murray, AV Club: This new Bel Ami has a lot to recommend it, but it never seems as artful or smart as Dangerous Liaisons, the film it most resembles. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: It's based on Guy de Maupassant's 1885 novel, but an old-school must-see-TV sitcom has more depth. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Robert Pattinson isn't all that bad in "Bel Ami." He just isn't right. Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: The supposedly cunning protagonist registers as a cipher, and the directors' tendency to shoot dialogue scenes in close-up blunts any understanding of the social milieu he's trying to conquer. Read more

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: A flavorless literary adaptation sunk by a lead actor, screenwriter and co-directors that are all out of their depth. Read more

Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: Intriguing political aspects of the story involving military designs on Morocco and the influence of the media would have more resonance if the human drama had more heft. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: Pattinson's passion is bloodless, his rakish George Duroy a font of undelivered potential. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Cramming over 400 pages into a little over 100 minutes not only skips over important incidents - like Georges' embarrassed return home with one love -- but rushes the characters through emotional arcs. Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: Te casting of an inexpressive pinup boy in the lead role is the most up-to-date thing about Bel Ami. Everything else is as conventional as the plodding, pudding-thick score. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Though gorgeous to look at, the first feature from Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod has an undeniable void at its very center: an utterly blank leading man. Read more

Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post: Pattinson's callowness and tendency to play rage as petulance don't help. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: It's the total lack of empathy these characters elicit (or don't) that is Bel Ami's overarching problem. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Based on Guy de Maupassant's 1885 novel, Bel Ami is the meandering, unfocused tale of the rise of an unprincipled opportunist in the upper class circles of late 19th century Paris. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The women are all elegant and intelligent, they know the ways of the world, and they know Georges' history. Why do they find him attractive? We don't, and that failure is the downfall of the film. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: With that cast, we rightfully expect fireworks. What we get is the film equivalent of a wet blanket. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: An enjoyably soapy 19th-century costume drama with a crackling, female-centric cast that features Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci and Kristin Scott Thomas. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: What distinguishes Pattinson in the role is the sense he conveys of someone roiling and churning beneath a surface that is almost, but not quite, calm. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Bel Ami" is a handsome production, yet riddled with weaknesses. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: The results aren't ribald or provocative or particularly exciting in any way; it's just a slog that will appeal mainly to enthusiasts of 19th-century undergarments. Read more

Dave Calhoun, Time Out: This 'Bel Ami' is spirited and sensible but little more than period fluff. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: De Maupassant's story was subtitled "The History of a Scoundrel"; this is more like "The Summary of a Scamp." Read more

Eric Hynes, Village Voice: What could be hotter than a bed-hopping bodice-ripper in which the movie hunk of the moment plows through three of the sexiest actresses of the 1990s? Most everything, it turns out. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Pattinson's performance is so enervated that his Georges Duroy comes across as something of a cipher. Read more