Captain Corelli's Mandolin 2001

Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News: Uninvolving mix of fable, anti-war lecture and star-crossed romance. Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: Cruz probably doesn't have more than 40 lines of dialogue in the entire film, but she makes every word, every gesture, every held-back tear matter. Read more

Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: The problem is that the novel is about a lot more than this, and the story suffers in the translation. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: Even though it doesn't measure up to its superb source, Captain Corelli's Mandolin is still a richer and more worthwhile entertainment than most of this summer's dumbed-down releases. Read more

Ebert & Roeper: Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: A sprawling saga of the World War II era, Captain Corelli's Mandolin has romance, conflict, violence. What it lacks is economy, subtlety and, above all, irony. Read more

Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News: The wobbly movie version never finds a cinematic equivalent for the book's wry, bittersweet flavor. And, on its own truncated terms, it flounders as a simple romantic movie. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: The film's linguistic problems might be overlooked, where it not for the complete lack of believable romance between the pouty Cruz and the frisky Cage. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: As the movie methodically plods forward on a screenplay (by Shawn Slovo) consisting entirely of cliches and watered-down exposition, it becomes sadly apparent that its only reliable asset is the gorgeous view. Read more

Gene Seymour, Newsday: Aspiring to melancholy wisdom and worldly significance, the movie achieves only a coy, frothy simulation of whatever we thought we loved about old-fashioned love stories. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: A lovely tears- and-popcorn movie. Read more

David Edelstein, Slate: It's from a wry, teeming novel, but director John Madden (or someone) has left out a lot of connecting material, so Cruz seems to go for Cage only because it says so in the script. Read more

Bob Longino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Very little about Mandolin is not in some way disappointing. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A phlegmatic, middlebrow romantic drama so stodgy that even the goats look bored. Read more

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: The movie is dramatically slack and uninvolving. Read more

Paul Clinton (CNN.com), CNN.com: Based on an actual Greek tragedy of epic proportions, which inspired a novel by Louis de Bernieres, Captain Corelli's Mandolin has finally been adapted to the big screen, with largely positive results. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Read more

Entertainment Weekly: Pearl Harbor for the English Patient crowd -- a movie that reduces history, as well as eros, to a postcard. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Captain Corelli's Mandolin gets things about half right. Read more

Peter Rainer, New York Magazine/Vulture: The movie duplicates exactly my experience with the book, although I must say I was thankful to be spared serial outbreaks of hearty Greek dancing. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: Despite the lush cinematography -- an intoxicating blur of blue ocean, gold beaches and green foliage that drips with natural beauty and unnatural production values -- the movie is a dense haze of ouzo, mangled beyond salvation by a ridiculous script. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Captain Corelli's Mandolin will find favor with nearly everyone who appreciates this kind of motion picture. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: What we get is kind of a condensed version of some of the sights and sounds of the novel, without the heart, the spirit and the juicy detail. Read more

Charles Taylor, Salon.com: The movie's craft is dead and dutiful. It's an Oscar machine. Read more

Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle: As wartime weepers go, Captain Corelli's Mandolin has a lot of pluck. Read more

Geoff Andrew, Time Out: The film's perfectly watchable, but it's never more than that. Read more

Mike Clark, USA Today: The result is far from perfect, but to its many merits, add timing. You never get a movie with this kind of story in mid-August, when studios usually dump youth-audience dogs before the kids go back to school. Read more

Derek Elley, Variety: Strikes too many false notes on the dramatic side to add up to a satisfying emotional experience. Read more

Jessica Winter, Village Voice: Billows in any direction that Shawn Slovo's gasbag script might blow it. Read more