La conquête 2011

John Hartl, Seattle Times: Sarkozy seems to mean exactly what he says, even when he's lying for his cause, and Podalydes has the skill to demonstrate that. Read more

Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: The film is a vehement drama and a fitfully amusing snark fest set to Nicola Piovani's jaunty circus music. It winds up only half-succeeding at both. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: Only intermittently rises above the tone of an arch, sniping drawing-room comedy peopled with mild caricatures. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: A drama about the dirty business of gaining power, it needs bared fangs-and more bite. Read more

Noel Murray, AV Club: The Conquest offers that familiar thrill of being allowed to peek behind the curtain and see what our leaders are really like... Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: "Conquest'' is a seriocomic portrait of naked ambition and a depiction of petty office politics on a national scale. It's a deadpan hoot that lacks the bite it could and arguably should have had. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Durringer has a good sense of pacing, and he keeps the various interlocking machinations reasonably comprehensible even for those of us who aren't experts in French political intrigue. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A smart, involving and strikingly adult drama about Sarkozy's rise to power... Read more

Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic: The Sarkozy story glistens, snakelike. Read more

Scott Tobias, NPR: Watching Sarko steamroll his even-more-unctuous rivals has its pleasures, but how can this outrageous creature of raw ambition also be treated in such sobering terms? The Conquest tries to have it both ways. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: A lot gets lost in translation in "The Conquest,'' an account of Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 rise to the French presidency. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: "The Conquest," a feature about recent French politics, makes me yearn for a similar American treatment of our own scene. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Too often ... the jaunty, overeager background music seems to be underscoring jokes the action doesn't provide. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "The Conquest" is like a French restaurant that serves small portions of tart appetizers and calls them freedom fries, yet begrudgingly we must salute the gall. Read more

Jon Frosch, The Atlantic: The dialogue is punchy, but the film lacks visual personality, and the insights into Sarkozy and France as a whole don't cut very deep. Read more

Boyd van Hoeij, Variety: Pic takes genre helmer Xavier Durringer back to his theater roots, with most of the narrative mayhem and laughs coming from pic's sharp dialogue and strong work by seasoned thesps, who just manage to avoid caricature. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: Aided by an excellent ensemble cast, director Xavier Durringer and his co-scripter, Patrick Rotman, don't refrain from showing this truly repellent side of Sarko during his rise from minister of justice in 2002 to the highest elected office. Read more

John DeFore, Washington Post: Failing to find deeper meaning in their protagonist's crises, they tell the story in a way that will only hold the interest of those who already know it fairly well. Read more