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Must Go!
Avg. Critic Score: 90 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Magnificent but somewhat frustrating movie. Read full review

  • 100
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    This is one of the most wildly romantic movies in ages. Read full review

  • 100
    USA Today | Mike Clark

    A movie this diminutive can be easily oversold, but we might see it on some year-end best lists. It eats at you, just like renewed love. Read full review

  • 100
    Los Angeles Times | Manohla Dargis

    Because Linklater now wears his heart on his sleeve, he has made a film that in its joy, optimism and aesthetic achievement keeps faith with American cinema at its finest. Read full review

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    The new film, which unfolds in real time over the course of 80 minutes, is a deeper, darker, altogether more memorable experience. It doesn't extend the characters so much as fulfill them. Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    The film has the materials for a lifetime project; like the "7-Up" series, this is a conversation that could be returned to every 10 years or so, as Celine and Jesse grow older. Read full review

  • 80
    Variety | Eddie Cockrell

    A savvy sequel that should speak to anyone who's let that one great love slip away. Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | Dana Stevens

    The script of Before Sunset is both rambling and self-conscious, and at times it has the self-important sound of clever writing. But though it is sometimes maddening, the movie's prodigious verbiage is also enthralling. Read full review

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    There is something uniquely unforgettable in the way Linklater, Hawke and Delpy (equal collaborators on the script) find nuance, art and eroticism in words, spoken and unspoken. The actors shine. Read full review

  • 40
    Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan

    All foreplay and no climax. Read full review


Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Charming romance for older teens and adults only.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie is not for kids. It has very explicit sexual references, including adultery, as well as drinking and smoking.
  • Families can talk about what might have happened if Jesse and Celine had stayed together in Vienna. Would they have been ready for a relationship when they were younger? What do you think it is that draws them to each other? If Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy get together in another nine years for another film, what will it be about?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Not an issue
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Not an issue
  • sex false5 Sex: Explicit sexual references.
  • language false3 Language: Some very strong language.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Drinking and smoking.

Before Sunset Movie Ratings + Reviews

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