The film flirts with greatness, but it settles instead on being something that is very good.
Comment
08/17/01
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)
29
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:114
Fresh:33
Rotten:81
Average Rating:4.4/10
Consensus: The cinematography is gorgeous, but the movie plays it fast and loose with history and the novel it was adapted from. Mostly, the movie fails because the romance between the leads strains credulity and the story is largely uninvolving.
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Academy Award (R) winner Nicolas Cage (City of Angels) and Penelope Cruz (All About My Mother) star in Captain Corelli's Mandolin, an epic tale about the enduring hope of love and the devastating... [More]
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Penélope Cruz, Christian Bale, John Hurt
Director: John Madden
Reviews for Captain Corelli's Mandolin
In Captain Corelli's Mandolin, war is hell -- but it need not get in the way of a relaxing Mediterranean vacation.
08/17/01
There are three ingredients missing here: character, character, and character.
08/16/01
Cage sounds like an Italian waiter in a "Monty Python" sketch.
08/16/01
The mismatched duo must make sense of their forbidden love before the audience falls asleep. Too late...they lose; we snooze.
08/16/01
Syrupy, violin-swollen, World War II-era love story.
08/16/01
An acceptable translation of written material into visual material, but it's not much more.
08/16/01
A surprisingly empty experience.
08/16/01
While those who loved the book will likely bemoan the desecration of a great work, others will find Captain Corelli's Mandolin passable entertainment for a summer's day.
08/16/01
In a season dominated by effects-driven blockbusters, this old-style, lyrical love story should find its audience and then some.
08/16/01
Handled with such conviction by director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) that it achieves the guilty enjoyability of a decent beach book.
08/16/01
As the movie methodically plods forward on a screenplay (by Shawn Slovo) consisting entirely of clichés and watered-down exposition, it becomes sadly apparent that its only reliable asset is the gorgeous view.
08/16/01
Top CriticGood old-fashioned romantic entertainment, just restrained enough to skirt schmaltz.
08/16/01
This is one of those films where the cast seems to go through their paces without really inhabiting their roles and where everybody has a different accent.
08/16/01
An interesting film and is worth at least a matinee.
08/16/01
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.
08/16/01
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.
08/16/01
Voluptuous and visually entrancing...but a variety of flaws-- most notably Cage's tone-deaf performance--render it earthbound when it should soar.
08/16/01
Too slow and drawn out with too little a pay off to be enjoyable.
08/16/01
Insomniacs take heart: The soothing sounds of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin are an invitation to snooze away a couple of hours.
08/16/01
Latest News for Captain Corelli's Mandolin
September 15, 2005:
Critical Consensus: Critics Thank "Heaven," But Don't Praise The "Lord"
This week at the movies brings us a supernatural romance ("Just Like Heaven"), a jaded arms dealer ("Lord of War") and two experiments in terror... More...
April 19, 2005:
Get Ready for Another Dose of "Basic Instinct"
You've heard it mentioned for years, but production is (finally) about to get underway on "Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction." A follow-up to Paul Verhoeven's sexual... More...
June 05, 2001:
Initial test screenings failed to induce awe. Universal, hoping for an Oscar contender, bumped the film from its spring release so that Madden could recut it. 
More...
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