The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

90% of critics liked it
(41 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(45,851 ratings)

The brief, illicit love affair between an Iowa housewife and a post-middle-age free-lance photographer is chronicled in this powerful romance based on the best-selling novella by Robert James Waller. The story begins as globetrotting National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid journeys to… More The brief, illicit love affair between an Iowa housewife and a post-middle-age free-lance photographer is chronicled in this powerful romance based on the best-selling novella by Robert James Waller. The story begins as globetrotting National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid journeys to Madison County in 1965 to film its lovely covered bridges. Upon his arrival, he stops by an old farmhouse to ask directions. There he encounters housewife, Francesca Johnson, whose spouse and two children are out of town. Thus begins their four-day affair, a liaison that fundamentally changes them both. Later Francesca chronicles the affair in a diary which her flabbergasted grown children read; never would they have expected their mother to be capable of the passion she experienced with Kincaid. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 2 hr. 15 min.
Directed By: Clint Eastwood
Written By: Richard La Gravenese
Genres: Drama, Romance

In Theaters: Jun 2, 1995 Wide
On DVD: Sep 25, 1997
Studio: Warner Bros.

Critic Reviews

Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine
Madison County is Eastwood's gift to women: to Francesca, to all the girls he's loved before -- and to Streep, who alchemizes literary mawkishness into intelligent movie passion.
Todd McCarthy, Variety
Given the intelligent restraint of the treatment, this is about as fine an adaptation of this material as one could hope for...
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Limited by the vapidity of this material while he trims its excesses with the requisite machete, Mr. Eastwood locates a moving, elegiac love story at the heart of Mr. Waller's self-congratulatory overkill.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
What the movie does that the book couldn't do is tap into the poignancy that comes of seeing two stars who used to be young and beautiful suddenly looking very mortal.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Screenwriter LaGravenese ought to get the Croix de Guerre for doing battle with Waller's fatuous prose and paring Bridges down to its most appealing fantasy romance essence.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
I've seen the movie twice now and was even more involved the second time, because I was able to pay more attention to the nuances of voice and gesture.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
The film is good enough; Streep is the X-factor that makes it excellent.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Little happens here apart from a long, slow buildup to sentimentalized coitus, but there's no denying the sheer screen presence of these two 500-lb. gorillas of pop culture.
Richard Luck, Film4
An unlikely choice as director and producer, it's thanks to Eastwood's relatively thin sentimental streak that the film doesn't fall headlong into a lagoon of schmaltz.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Perhaps the only time in history a movie was far better than its source material
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Whether Meryl Streep deserved an Oscar nomination may be debatable, but what's beyond dispute is that scripter Richard LaGravenese and director Clint Eastwood have actually made a better, more enjoyable film than the schmaltzy literary source.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...thoughtful and touching by turns...there is nothing treacly, sugary, or sentimental about the storytelling. (Deluxe Edition)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...an old-fashioned love story for adults.
Leo Goldsmith, Not Coming to a Theater Near You
In Eastwood's hands, it seems, even divorce can be more romantic than orgasms under the right circumstances.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Immaculately performed, and assembled with wit and sensitivity, this is one of the most satisfying weepies in years.
Gregory Weinkauf, ÜberCiné
This didn't pain me anywhere near as much as I thought it would. A money-grab, surely, and Clint's weird bush story is very awkward, but generally charming enough for a date with a boring person.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Atmospheric love story with Eastwood and Streep in great form.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Eastwood can do no wrong in my eyes ... but he came dangerously close with this one.
Victoria Alexander, FilmsInReview.com
Better than the book.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Brad W

Same as the book, boring and cliche
Randy T

I was reluctant to take a chance on this one because of the pretense, but the story and Miss Streep drew me in. Now that I've seen it - no regrets.
Nicki M

Not the quickest moving movie, but worth watching if you can perserve with it. Very sad and has something to say about living the life that makes you happy, and not to please everyone else. The main character does not manage to do this and you see the impact not only on her own life,… More
Not the quickest moving movie, but worth watching if you can perserve with it. Very sad and has something to say about living the life that makes you happy, and not to please everyone else. The main character does not manage to do this and you see the impact not only on her own life, but on that of her daughter who has been raised to see life in the same way and now also finds herself less than happy in a bad relationship. Sympathy is also there for the husband as it was not his fault he was not the right person for his wife. Nice acting and not a feel good movie, but a good one for anyone who likes to think.
Jason O

My mom's favorite movie of all time is also one I'm a fan of. Of course, what Clint Eastwood movie am I NOT a fan of? He shows in this one that not only can he direct, but be an awesome actor in a variety of genres, not just westerns and crime dramas, but the tearjerking… More
My mom's favorite movie of all time is also one I'm a fan of. Of course, what Clint Eastwood movie am I NOT a fan of? He shows in this one that not only can he direct, but be an awesome actor in a variety of genres, not just westerns and crime dramas, but the tearjerking kinds also. Beautiful movie....if only she'd gotten out of her husband's vehicle at the end though...
Jason S

This was pretty boring to me but I thought the cast did a good job of becoming these people.
Candy R

Great cast. A bit slow in parts but good story and scenery,
Nani V

I was wondering what the big fuss was about...now I get it.
Lanning :

What a beautiful movie. I just saw this for the first time. I regret so much refusing to see this because of the stupidity of the book. Hey, it's Clint Eastwood acting and directing. I should have known better. If you like Eastwood--or Meryl Streep--, you should not miss… More
What a beautiful movie. I just saw this for the first time. I regret so much refusing to see this because of the stupidity of the book. Hey, it's Clint Eastwood acting and directing. I should have known better. If you like Eastwood--or Meryl Streep--, you should not miss this movie.
Bradley W

Same as the book, boring and cliche
Andreia C

sad and beautiful :'(
Joseph E

Every so often there is always a love story that a man can not help but get engrossed into, but only as long as his wife, or girlfriend doesnt find out.
Erin C

Pretty slow-moving, but Streep was adorable. It was visually appealing, and the story was interesting, even though it was morally wrong.
Sarah B

Two of the best actors out there + great story = whats not to love?
matt s

What is this faggot crap?
Daisy M

<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i30.tinypic.com/hs3ss6.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> It has been a long time since I saw a movie and I can just rate it 5… More
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i30.tinypic.com/hs3ss6.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> It has been a long time since I saw a movie and I can just rate it 5 stars, well, with The Bridges of Madison County I have no doubt, it was a marvelous love story.The story of Fransesca beautifully performed by Meryl Streep and Robert played by Clint Eastwood and he directed this movies as well.They showed that you can be with someone for a very short time and love him for ever. Clint was really amazing and realistic in his performance. There were some moments when so much was said with out words, and the look on Meryl's face said it all. The music fitted perfectly for this kind of movie. The pace of the movie was perfect for their journey of falling in love.
Leo L

Fantastic!
Sarah P

A classic romance story, however it seemed a little long - the daughter and son actors were horrible and the sex scenes were pretty hard to stomach.
Anthony V

See Eastwood grow as a filmmaker and another great Meryl Streep performance.
Christopher B

Meryl Streep had to end an affair with a photographer when her loving husband returns home with their children. Boo hoo. There's children starving in Ethiopia!
Linda K

A film that will make you love again!