Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes
Vincent Canby, New York Times: Witty, entertaining, if occasionally overripe. Read more
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: The creepy plot still holds a certain fascination. Read more
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: An absorbing and seductive movie. Read more
Steve Grant, Time Out: A sombre, manipulative affair in which the decor is never allowed to usurp our interest. Read more
Variety Staff, Variety: This incisive study of sex as an arena for manipulative power games takes too long to catch fire and suffers from a deficient central performance. Read more
Hal Hinson, Washington Post: Tantalizingly wicked -- watching it makes the color rise to your cheeks. Read more
Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Director Stephen Frears accelerates entertainingly through Christopher Hampton's wig-and-powder sado-comedy about sexual mind games in 18th-century France. Read more