De-LovelyMovie Reviews

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 53 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 Iffy for 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

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

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    A musical and a biography, and brings to both of those genres a worldly sophistication that is rare in the movies. Read full review

  • 83
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    De-Lovely is something dishy and rare: a biopic about a happy, and even enchanted, man. Read full review

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    At its best, De-Lovely evokes a time, a place and a sound with stylish wit and sophistication. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    A sprightly musical revue built around Cole Porter songs and a few biographical tidbits culled from his extraordinary life. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Benefits greatly from Kevin Kline's outstanding performance as the ultra-sophisticated songwriter whose resilient marriage anchored a complicated double life. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    De-Lovely has its moments of delight. Its defects lie mostly in failing to fully delineate what made musical icon Cole Porter tick. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    A mishmash of a musical. The movie never gels -- despite Kline's nuanced performance, the stars' exquisite period clothes, designed by Armani, and, of course, Porter's great songs. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    A movie so lifeless and drained of genuine joie de vivre it makes you long for the largely fictional earlier film. Read full review

  • 30
    Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan

    The movie drains Cole and Linda Porter of blood and fills them with embalming fluid. Read full review

  • 30
    Los Angeles Times | Manohla Dargis

    Something certainly blows here, but it isn't the archangel's horn. Read full review

View more reviews for De-Lovely on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 15+ The music is de-lovely, but not much else is.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie has explicit sexual references for a PG-13. A theme of the movie is Porter's life as a semi-closeted gay man and the stress this put on his relationship with his wife. There is also a reference to a miscarriage (including some blood), the (offscreen) death of a child, and severe injury resulting from a horseback-riding accident. Characters drink and smoke a great deal (one dies of emphysema).
  • Families can talk about what drew Cole and Linda to each other. What did each of them want from the relationship? What did each of them get? Families may want to discuss Cole's bitterness at the end of his life. Would he have been so bitter if he had spent more of his time differently? What do people have to do to maintain a sense of satisfaction and the ability to continue to develop relationships with others at the end of their lives?
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Tense and sad scenes, horseback-riding accident, sad death.
  • sex false5 Sex: Explicit sexual situations and references for a PG-13.
  • language false3 Language: Some strong language.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: A lot of drinking and smoking.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

De-Lovely Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 101 fan reviews

Critics say

So-so See all critic reviews

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