60
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Chicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonChicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonThe film, despite some over-obvious stretches, is mostly sad, lovely, moving, haunting. It's a striking and promising debut from a fine new filmmaker. [21 Aug 1998]
- 75The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenOnce again, then, impeccable visual detail and uniformly strong performances combine to create a polished, if slightly airless, result. [14 Aug 1998]
- 75USA TodayMike ClarkUSA TodayMike ClarkThough not exactly dynamic, the movie offers insights into a specific culture. Ashley Rowe's photography is exquisite, and Driver has never been better. [14 Aug 1998]
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe claustrophobic, isolated Victorian household is a stage on which every nuance, however small, is noticed.
- 75Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittDriver gives a winning performance in a human-scaled story that avoids romantic clichs and gender stereotypes, although a few of both creep in from time to time.
- 70Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumGoldbacher's story is not always convincing as history, but it's absorbing as a sort of gothic romance and sensually quite potent, and Driver carries it all with grace and authority.
- 67Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenThe film is an atmospheric work, a period piece set in the 1840s during the dawn of the Age of Photography with a dense and moody visual style that befits its Brönte-esque subject matter.
- 60EmpireEmpireIt's worth watching, though, for Minnie Driver, whose luminous performance as the governess in question struggles to save writer/director Goldbacher's film from the doldrums.
- 50Boston GlobeJay CarrBoston GlobeJay CarrThe sheer intelligence and independence of spirit in Driver's busy eyes almost carry The Governess past its structural limitations. [07 Aug 1998]
- 20Village VoiceJessica WinterVillage VoiceJessica WinterThe Governess is too dirty-minded to fit the Merchant Ivory mold but not salacious enough to qualify as bodice-ripping laff riot. [04 Aug 1998]