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
 
 
101 - 120 (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
 
 

Intelligently written, sumptuously produced, and dramatically inert.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
07/02/04
Timothy Knight
Timothy Knight
Reel.com

Kevin Kline shines in the Cole Porter bio De-Lovely but whether the movie is any better than the 1946 cornball bio Night and Day is De-Batable.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
07/02/04
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

It's hard to imagine the real Porter sitting still for this kind of film.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
07/02/04
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger

De-Lovely twinkles and glows, but all the surface razzle-dazzle fails to mask the emptiness at its core.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
07/02/04
Megan Lehmann
Megan Lehmann
New York Post

Despite that gaffe and the underwhelming singing of a couple of pop stars on the soundtrack, De-Lovely has much de-loveliness about it.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
07/02/04
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News

Too flatly refined to evoke the turbulent existence it examines.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
07/02/04
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

Verges on de-bysmal.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
07/02/04
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

Better than a root canal, marginally superior to Gigli, but bad enough.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
07/02/04
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

A host of classy musicians like Robbie Williams, Elvis Costello and Natalie Cole, who cover Porter's music to further the plot, are simply de-magical.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
07/02/04
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie contains more music than most musicals, yet is not a concert film because the songs seem to rise so naturally out of the material and illuminate it.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
07/02/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Thoughtful, creative, and generally worthy of its subject, with sins that are more of ambition and miscalculation than of execution.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
07/02/04
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

The split Porters -- one watching the other acting out his life as a stage show -- provide an approximate mirror for the film's theory of his split self.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
07/02/04
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

[A]s much a valentine to Porter as a biography of him... redolent with romantic history...

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
07/02/04
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

This is some of [Kline and Judd's] most astonishing respective work in memory. De-Lovely is unremittingly romantic.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
07/02/04
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

Creates a strange vibe, as if to say a gay man's only truly worthy relationship could come from a woman.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
07/01/04
Jeffrey Chen
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies

A fascinating framing device highlights beautiful Kline and Judd and intricate in-camera editing. Gorgeous and moving.

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
07/01/04
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina

An imaginative reconstruction of key events in Cole Porter's life.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
07/01/04
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

De-lousy.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
07/01/04
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An innovative biopic, an irresistible musical (featuring some of today's top artists covering Porter standards) and a surprisingly touching heterosexual love story -- even though it doesn't shy away one inch from its hero's rampant bisexuality.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
07/01/04
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Rather than seeing the life of a complex, talented man, we get a series of elegant episodes that showcase costumes and set

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
07/01/04
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
 
 
101 - 120 (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
14% 14% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

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
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
51
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
128
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
181
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
92
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
80
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
80
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
70
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
45
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
22
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
17
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
2
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • 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
21
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

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.