Death Defying ActsMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Death Defying Acts."

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

  • 80
    L.A. Weekly | Scott Foundas

    This won't be remembered as one of the prodigiously talented Armstrong's great films (My Brilliant Career, High Tide, Little Women), but it's still 90 percent better than everything else out there. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times |

    Far more diverting and well crafted than its promotion-free release campaign might suggest. Then again, for a film largely based on the notion that "nothing is what it seems," such lowered expectations may actually work in its favor. Read full review

  • 60
    Slate |

    A minor but satisfying entry in the "what if" historical-fantasy genre. Read full review

  • 50
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    Though all the elements are in place, there's not much magic to be found in Death Defying Acts, an intermittently entertaining but surprisingly modest romance from Gillian Armstrong. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Ray Bennett

    What it lacks is a villain, and magic without danger is simply a parlor trick, which is what the film becomes. Read full review

  • 40
    Variety | Dennis Harvey

    A handsome contraption that's never very engaging, let alone convincing. Read full review

  • 38
    New York Post | Kyle Smith

    The ingredients are there for a cute con game, but instead the movie turns out to be a mushy melodrama. Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | Neil Genzlinger

    Ms. Zeta-Jones is too elegant for the lowlife she's supposed to be, Ms. Ronan isn't endearing enough to be a ragamuffin, and, under Gillian Armstrong's direction, never for a minute do you believe they're mother and daughter. Read full review

Death Defying Acts Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 29 fan reviews

Critics say

So-so See all critic reviews

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