Circle of Friends 1995

Janet Maslin, New York Times: Beyond eliciting warm, animated performances from his actors (with a cast that also includes Alan Cumming as a hair-raising suitor of Benny's), Mr. O'Connor gives Circle of Friends an enveloping look and sound. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: Three female friends grow up in a small town in Ireland in the mid-50s and attend college in Dublin in this nostalgic soap opera that's vaguely evocative of Peyton Place, though generally less memorable. Read more

Entertainment Weekly: Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: A lot of films, especially love stories, seek a level of comfort through predictability, but this one goes too far. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Heartwarming and poignant, a love story that glows with intelligence and feeling. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Young Benny has a nice smile, and she and Jack seem like pleasant people, but in the end (and in the beginning and in the middle) it's hard to get worked up about them. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: The fizzing dialogue gets all the little details right, but the plot's nothing new, and the lingering shots of hibernian greenery aim straight for mid-Atlantic bland-out. Read more

Emanuel Levy, Variety: Old-fashioned and nostalgic, Pat O'Connor's nicely directed tale of friendship between three Irish girls features a strong central performance from Minnie Driver that promises a bright future in Hollywood pictures. Read more

Hal Hinson, Washington Post: It's not a challenging movie or an original one, but it does have its pleasures -- most notably a radiant, soulful debut performance from Driver. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Driver is impulsively sweet, touching and hilarious as she copes with her new, romantic life. Read more