RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / De-Lovely
De-Lovely

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

De-Lovely (2004)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
49 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:151

Fresh:74

Rotten:77

Average Rating:5.7/10

Consensus: Musical numbers save movie from cliches.

Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Directed by Irwin Winkler, DE-LOVELY depicts the life of the great American composer Cole Porter (Kevin Kline). Despite his sexual preference for men, Porter found inspiration and virtually... Directed by Irwin Winkler, DE-LOVELY depicts the life of the great American composer Cole Porter (Kevin Kline). Despite his sexual preference for men, Porter found inspiration and virtually unconditional love with Linda Lee (Ashley Judd). Told in flashback as Porter is near death, the film follows the Porters' fabulous, unconventional relationship from their meeting in Paris to their subsequent moves to Venice, New York, Hollywood, and Williamstown, as well as the many stops along the way. Kline perfectly captures the Porters' zest for life and seemingly inexhaustible need for love. Classic tunes such as "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love," "Let's Misbehave," and "Anything Goes" take on whole new meanings when considered in the context of Porter and Lee's life together. Contemporary musical performers, including Alanis Morissette, Natalie Cole, Robbie Williams, Elvis Costello, and Sheryl Crow, appear in the film singing Porter standards, a device that works surprisingly well. Judd holds her own as the devoted Linda, who gives her love to Porter and supports his musical ambitions while trying to overlook his homosexual affairs. Historians may debate the details of the Porters' relationship, but one thing is clear: DE-LOVELY dazzles with great music, period costumes, and fine performances. [More]

Starring: Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce, Keith Allen

Starring: Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce, Keith Allen, Natalie Cole, Angie Hill

Director: Irwin Winkler

Director: Irwin Winkler
Screenwriter: Jay Cocks
Producer: Irwin Winkler, Rob Cowan, Charles Winkler
Composer: Cole Porter
Studio: MGM/UA

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • De-Lovely Trailer
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for De-Lovely

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

...if I didn't already enjoy the composer's music, this movie would never have swayed to like it.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
11/27/04
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Kline and Judd are both good, but Cole Porter seems to have more sophistication than depth.

Full Review Source: Mark Leeper's Reviews | comment Comment
11/24/04
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
Mark Leeper's Reviews

The movie does offer insight into a man whose lyrics now are underscored with the deeper, hidden rhythms of truth.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
11/16/04
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

The least you can expect from a film celebrating a witty and stylish personality like Cole Porter is to be witty and stylish. But, alas, De-Lovely is neither.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
11/13/04
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

De-senfrenada y de-lirante, de-liciosa en algunos momentos.

Full Review Source: Cinenganos | comment Comment
11/11/04
Alex Ramirez
Alex Ramirez
Cinenganos

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (Australia) | comment Comment
11/08/04
Sunday Times (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A handsome musical about the most ambiguous of American composers.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Kansan | comment Comment
10/16/04
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

De-Lovely's pedestrian aesthetic choices and conventional point of view sit awkwardly within its semi-experimental framework.

Full Review Source: Film Experience | comment Comment
10/15/04
Nathaniel Rogers
Nathaniel Rogers
Film Experience

De-Lovely is a film I can imagine the Porters enjoying, and also one that might occasionally make them uncomfortable. It isn't great cinema, but it's deft popular art.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
09/25/04
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

The only way to kill Cole Porter is to mess with his music. And that’s exactly what Producer/Director Irwin Winkler does in De-Lovely.

Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
09/17/04
Tony Medley
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com

... more of a production than a portrait.

Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
09/15/04
Mark Collette
Mark Collette
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

De-Lovely features a first-rate performance that ought to earn Kevin Kline an Oscar nomination.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
08/19/04
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

Is De-Lovely a failure? In many ways, yes. But it's the kind of failure I'd rather see than I would many more successful films.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
08/18/04
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

De-Lovely is missing the passion and brio it needs to function on a level that best befits its iconic subject -- clever, witty and seemingly effortless in its creation.

Full Review Source: Movie Boeuf | comment Comment
08/18/04
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
Movie Boeuf

Kline/Judd are de-lectable and the movie is de-vine.

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
08/16/04
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
08/16/04
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
FilmJerk.com

Both fans and non-fans will appreciate Porter's tunes. But the real story of his marriage has yet to be told.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
08/15/04
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

Winkler's musical valentine to Cole Porter and his genius sets just the right tone, a harmonious blend of intelligence and sentiment, intensified by a song score to sigh for and the best film performance of Kevin Kline's estimable career.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
08/08/04
Wendy Weinstein
Wendy Weinstein
Film Journal International

Routine biopic of legendary American composer Cole Porter.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/07/04
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The results ... are staid, with re-creations of Paris in the Jazz Age and Hollywood in its Golden Age that are like waxworks in motion.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
08/07/04
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

Latest News for De-Lovely

June 22, 2004: This musical bio of Cole Porter looks at the songwriter’s loving and unorthodox relationship with his wife, Linda—meaning it doesn’t shy away from his homosexual affairs. Opens in new window
More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
67% 67% Public Enemies
75% 75% Julie & Julia
95% 95% The Cove
85% 85% World's Greatest Dad

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Avatar Picks Up Golden Globes Buzz Source: HitFix
11
  • Disney's Upcoming Hand-Drawn Movies Revealed Source: Slashfilm
4
  • Cameron Explains Blue Avatar Aliens Source: MTV
19
  • Matt Damon Expects Greengrass to Return for Fourth Bourne Source: Collider.com
6
  • Burton's Dark Shadows Rising in 2010 Source: Sci Fi Wire
6
  • Exclusive: The World of Where the Wild Things Are
27
  • Peter Jackson Talks Hobbit, LotR Blu-ray Source: Collider.com
20
  • Woman Jailed for Filming New Moon Screening Source: Chicago Sun-Times
18
  • McG Has Plans for Fifth and Sixth Terminator Movies Source: Gizmodo
204
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
22
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
83
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
57
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
50
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
46
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
41
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
40
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
37
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: The Blind Side Takes the Lead
29
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
28
  • Friday Harvest: Iron Man 2, Harry Potter, and more!
24
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Five Favorite Films With Avatar's Sam Worthington
24
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • De-Lovely at Rotten Tomatoes
  • De-Lovely at IGN
  • De-Lovely at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.