Lolita (1997)

67% of critics liked it
(21 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(20,855 ratings)

Adapted from the novel by Vladimir Nabokov (previously filmed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962), Lolita stars Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert, a college literature professor. In early adolescence, Humbert fell hopelessly and tragically in love with a girl his own age, and, as he grew into adulthood, he… More Adapted from the novel by Vladimir Nabokov (previously filmed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962), Lolita stars Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert, a college literature professor. In early adolescence, Humbert fell hopelessly and tragically in love with a girl his own age, and, as he grew into adulthood, he never lost his obsession with "nymphets," teenagers who walk a fine line between being a girl and a woman. While looking for a place to live after securing a new teaching position, he meets Charlotte Haze (Melanie Griffith), a pretentious and annoying woman who seems desperately lonely and is obviously attracted to Humbert. Humbert pays her little mind until he meets her 13-year-old daughter Lolita (Dominique Swain), the image of the girl that Humbert once loved. Humbert moves into the Haze home as a boarder and eventually marries Charlotte in order to be closer to Lolita. When Charlotte finds out about Humbert's attraction to her daughter, she flees the house in a rage, only to be killed in an auto accident. Without telling Lolita of her mother's fate, Humbert takes her on a cross-country auto trip, where their relationship begins to move beyond the traditional boundaries of stepfather and step-daughter. Lolita proved to be controversial in the United States due to its clear (if not explicit) depiction of sex between a middle-aged man and an underaged girl; no major studio was willing to release it in America, and it finally had its U.S. premiere on the Showtime cable network. This version, directed by Adrian Lyne, was publicized as being more faithful to Nabokov's book than Stanley Kubrick's adaptation (which was scripted by Nabokov himself); however, it manages to be closer to the letter of the novel without capturing its spirit and tone as well as Kubrick did. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 17 min.
Directed By: Adrian Lyne
Written By: Stephen Schiff
Genres: Drama, Romance

In Theaters: Sep 27, 1997 Wide
On DVD: Jun 29, 1999
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Company

Critic Reviews

David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...the performances hit the right notes...
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
Irons is excellent, but the film is a real cold shower
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...any film of Lolita is bound to disappoint the few who insist on the primacy of Nabokov's novel
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...while the Kubrick account is still more fun in its own eccentric way, this new one more than holds its own--a more sensual, poetic vision of the story.
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
The film is remarkably...disturbing. There's no other way to put it.

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Featured Audience Ratings

moon r

Nabakov's insightful questioning of the values of modern Western culture are still wonderfully hidden in this take on his still discomforting tale about living your dream, about the myth of having it all. Excellent turns by the cast almost give one to forget the mischevious,… More
Nabakov's insightful questioning of the values of modern Western culture are still wonderfully hidden in this take on his still discomforting tale about living your dream, about the myth of having it all. Excellent turns by the cast almost give one to forget the mischevious, indelicate way the subject is approached. The puzzle here is that Nabakov's ( and the original film's ) "you-know-I'm-joking, right, just-making-a-point?" wink at you is replaced by Lyne's decision to simply tell the tale straight, w/o any curves at all ... is that a good or a bad thing? Its certainly more terrifying.
Sophie B

I expected it to be much more disturbing, however since it was Lolita who started all their exploits it wasn't as creepy or perverted. Saying that, it was uncomfortable to watch at times especially with the great performances by Irons and Swain. The character of Lolita was very… More
I expected it to be much more disturbing, however since it was Lolita who started all their exploits it wasn't as creepy or perverted. Saying that, it was uncomfortable to watch at times especially with the great performances by Irons and Swain. The character of Lolita was very well done as she acted incredibly childish and immature for her age but then suddenly switched when she wanted something. She knew exactly what she was doing. I sort of felt sorry for Humbert as she was blatantly playing him and he fell for it because of his past. However, he still shouldn't have given in to his desires and they both got what they deserved in the end.
Unknown H

Where do I even start with this movie?! I seem to have fallen into a trap of late of watching movies that seem to have this child/adult love theme. I had the book for ages and never read it, resigning myself to watch the movie before hand (which is something I very rarely do) and I am… More
Where do I even start with this movie?! I seem to have fallen into a trap of late of watching movies that seem to have this child/adult love theme. I had the book for ages and never read it, resigning myself to watch the movie before hand (which is something I very rarely do) and I am happy I did because now I could not imagine the characters as anyone but those in movie. Jeremy Irons again perfection, his narrative in this film haunting and resonant even if there were moments when I wondered why the hell I was watching it! Kinda slow, but never dull.
Lady D

The remake of the hugely controversial film, original Directed by Stanley Kubrick and taken from the novel by Vladimir Nabokov. As remakes go, the general view tends to be that the original is best in most cases, not in this one, or at least not for me. It?s very difficult not… More
The remake of the hugely controversial film, original Directed by Stanley Kubrick and taken from the novel by Vladimir Nabokov. As remakes go, the general view tends to be that the original is best in most cases, not in this one, or at least not for me. It?s very difficult not to feel uncomfortable watching parts of this film because of the nature of the story, but Jeremy Irons was extremely impressive, with a wonderful performance from Jeremy Irons as Humbert and a great role played by Dominique Swain as Lolita too, both controversial roles. The view of this unspeakable romance being told through a Writers eyes, almost tries to justify to justify his acting upon his feelings and instincts. What I also liked about this version was seeing the perspective from each person involved, rather telling the story just through one set of eyes. For the first time I could see this story through the young girl?s eyes, like many girls her age having feelings for an older man and the innocence of how those feelings could come across to somebody else and be used to manipulate situations, debates are a must for this film.
Luke B

Lolita is a fascinating and brave tale. It doesn't excuse the actions of it's protagonists, but explores the emotions within the characters that drive them. Lyne is a brave man attempting a story that Kubrick handled so brilliantly, but you never feel like this film is in… More
Lolita is a fascinating and brave tale. It doesn't excuse the actions of it's protagonists, but explores the emotions within the characters that drive them. Lyne is a brave man attempting a story that Kubrick handled so brilliantly, but you never feel like this film is in competition with that version. Lyne brings a lot of his own talents to the film. Given the time (the 90's) and Lyne's track record, he is more at home exploring the sexual/sensual side to the relationship. It never becomes graphic or excessive, and Lyne's restraint makes it a powerful watch. Irons gives a perfect performance (much like Mason) but in no way is he cut from the same cloth. Irons seems less fatherly until later on, he also seems less sleazy, but perhaps that is just Mason's voice. Swain's debut is one of great confidence, she does innocent, playful, teasing, manipulative and evil. Morricone's saddening score, just adds deeper layers to even more complex scenes. Lolita is great because here is a film where both protagonists are the victim and the culprit.
Sanjaya &

Well, I must admit that the writer of this movie, which is a based on novel movie, is a brilliant writer... He can make a simple story, about an adult man who obsessed with a young girl, into an interesting story to watch... The film itself just okay, even I'm not read the book,… More
Well, I must admit that the writer of this movie, which is a based on novel movie, is a brilliant writer... He can make a simple story, about an adult man who obsessed with a young girl, into an interesting story to watch... The film itself just okay, even I'm not read the book, but at least I know that the book will be greater than the movie... Jeremy Irons, the only stars played in this movie, gave a good performance... He really really shows his capacity as an old Hollywood star.... Dominique Swain, who made her big improvement for her career, was particularly show a great acting... She just looks like the young Scarlett Johansson with some talent, she can be a promised young actress if she just chooses the right movie... This Lolita movie was a good movie, but too bad it just an independent movie... It can't fly Dominique Swain career on movie industry, despite the fact that she was show a great acting here... Overall, it a great movie and a really good watch...
Michael S

Excellent remake.
Steve B

I'll stick with Kubrick's version.
Michael G

Superbly cast and more faithful to the novel. I just like Kubrick's version way more.
Sarah G

I really enjoyed this one more-so than than Kubrick's version. Irons was a far more convincing Humbert, and Swann played Loltia amazingly well and convinced me she was the age they mentioned in this film. The film deals with the topic of paedophila well and throughout the… More
I really enjoyed this one more-so than than Kubrick's version. Irons was a far more convincing Humbert, and Swann played Loltia amazingly well and convinced me she was the age they mentioned in this film. The film deals with the topic of paedophila well and throughout the film you begin to symphathise with Humbert,but you don't realise it. The film was incredibly emotional and almost made me cry! Now I am going to read the book
Curt C

None of these characters are that likeable. I guess that's the point, but it sure makes it hard to watch. Stick to the book.
Dimitris S

Lyne evolves somehow....lusciously and his sexual identity procures outrageous familiarities,oh the consequences of Fatal Attraction.Irons preserves the glimpse of passion from Mason,and what shall the penalty be?Serves as a two-folder,the provocateur Lolita and the soft-core edition… More
Lyne evolves somehow....lusciously and his sexual identity procures outrageous familiarities,oh the consequences of Fatal Attraction.Irons preserves the glimpse of passion from Mason,and what shall the penalty be?Serves as a two-folder,the provocateur Lolita and the soft-core edition of Kubrick,yet...this one doesn't get much props for its novelization.
Daisy M

Humbert (Jeremy Irons) a British professor came to the US to teach, rented a room in Charlotte Haze's (Melanie Griffith) house, but only after he saw her 14-year-old daughter, Dolores (Dominique Swain), to whom he was immediately attracted. Though he hated the mother, he married… More
Humbert (Jeremy Irons) a British professor came to the US to teach, rented a room in Charlotte Haze's (Melanie Griffith) house, but only after he saw her 14-year-old daughter, Dolores (Dominique Swain), to whom he was immediately attracted. Though he hated the mother, he married her as this is the only way to be close to the girl, who will prove to be too mature for her age. They started a journey together, trying to hide they're not just (step)father and daughter, throughout the country, being followed by someone whom Humbert first suspects to be from the police. The profound jealousy, and maybe some guilt from the forbidden love, seem slowly to drive the man emotionally crazy. <a href="http://s420.photobucket.com/albums/pp286/ladypink_2009/?action=view&current=lolita01.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp286/ladypink_2009/lolita01.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> I was not expecting very much from the movie, but to my surprise it turns out to be a brilliant heart warming movie, thanks to the sincere effort towards its direction by Adrian Lyne & superb acting especially by Dominique Swain as teenage girl Lolita and Jeremy Irons who finds his erotic desires in a 14 yr old girl. Actually this movie was enjoyable too, due to the sexual angle,but surely it is worth more than that,I have not watched the 1962 version of Stanley Kubrick yet, but for me it is one of the movie which explore the emotional point of a relationship.From a point of view of the man who is ready to take the responsibility of girls father and at the same time acts like her lover too. Knowing in advance what he was doing was wrong. A movie that should not be missed.
Leo L

Strange & Frightening!
Chosen 7

Twisted yet good film. Great performances and good writing.
Wu C

One of the best remakes I've seen. This is gonna shake you up.