Critic Reviews

• Ty Burr, Boston Globe

  "Renoir" doesn't get much beneath the surface - but, good God, what a surface.

• Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

  For those who just want to float away on waves of beauty, "Renoir" is a boating party.

• Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

  Stately to a fault, the film is not enough drama, too much still life.

• Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

  One would expect a film about French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir to look beautiful, to be shot in warm, sumptuous colors. And one would not be disappointed in Gilles Bourdos' "Renoir."

• J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

  If you love the paintings of Auguste Renoir or the films of his son Jean, there's a good chance you'll sit through this slow-moving prestige item.

• Adam Nayman, Globe and Mail

  Gilles Bourdos's film is more conventional than its mould-breaking subjects deserve.

• Neil Smith, Total Film

  A film of lazy days, sleepless nights and mellow moments that will likely test the patience of those unwilling to resign to its unhurried pace.

• John Beifuss, Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

  Rated R for 'art-related nudity.' By that standard, shouldn't the Louvre be Adults Only?

• Rick Kisonak, Film Threat

  A portrait of the artist as an old fart.

• Al Alexander, The Patriot Ledger

  You'll never look at a Renoir work the same way again, whether it's on a canvas or, in the case of Jean, celluloid. And for that, we can thank Andree Heushling, a beauty who inspired beauty in a most beautiful way.

• Bill Gibron, PopMatters

  Renoir is one of those movies where all the pieces are in place for something intriguing and insightful. To that end, the film fails.

• Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle

  Renoir is great at capturing some of the details of daily life within this unique household and conveying an Impressionist atmosphere on film, but as far as telling us a story, the film is a washout.

• Joe Gross, Austin American-Statesman

  Renoir really does have the lush glory of a Renoir, and that isn't easy to sustain. Any given freeze frame in this thing is lovely to behold. See Renoir for the glorious light and Theret's strong performance, but don't expect a whole lot of conflict.

• Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

  You will undoubtedly see better movies than Gilles Bourdos' Renoir this year, but there's a good chance you won't see a more breathtakingly gorgeous one.

• James Verniere, Boston Herald

  Lush, captivating.

• Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

  It's that eye-popping surface that is the real star of "Renoir," although the film is an agreeable if shallow look at the great artist in the twilight of his years.

• Susan Granger, SSG Syndicate

  Sensual, sophisticated and visually sumptuous, particularly appealing to an older audience of art lovers.

• Chris Foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

  "Renoir" is a story of creativity in twilight, and at its dawning. Appropriately enough, most of its scenes are fit to be framed, all soft tones and sun-dappled.

• Marc Mohan, Oregonian

  Philosophy and analysis can wait for another day; it's pleasant enough to quietly revel in the pristine sunlight and unhurried pace of an era gone by.

• Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

  Perhaps it's damning Renoir with faint praise to call it agreeable, but Gilles Bourdos' film...shows an admirable restraint, quiet simplicity, and lush pictorial beauty.

Read all 21 critic reviews