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Blue Valentine Review

Movies.com Critics

4.0

Dave White Profile

Love tears them apart. Again. Read full review

4.5

Jen Yamato Profile

A bittersweet elegy to love. Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

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

  • 5.0
    81

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Universal acclaim
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 100

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

    Blue Valentine is lushly touching and gorgeously told.

    Read Full Review

  • 100

    out of 100

    USA Today Claudia Puig

    Gosling and Williams have the most palpable chemistry of any screen couple this year, never striking a false note in this achingly tender tale of a love that implodes before our eyes.

    Read Full Review

  • 50

    out of 100

    The New York Times A.O. Scott

    Cindy and Dean remain, for all their sustained agony and flickering joy, something less than completely realized human beings. Mr. Cianfrance's ingenious chronological gimmick, coupled with his anxious, clumsy plotting, leaves them without enough oxygen to burst into breathing, loving life.

    Read Full Review

  • 50

    out of 100

    The Hollywood Reporter

    Ultimately, the heavy-handed and annoyingly obvious aesthetic wears thin.

    Read Full Review

  • 60

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times Betsy Sharkey

    That meandering dialogue can be difficult to control, and at times the film feels as if the director has stepped away from the vehicle, leaving it to veer off the path. Still, it's an experiment that works more than it fails by giving Gosling and Williams both the motive and the means to create something extraordinary, a valentine that actually says something true about being in love.

    Read Full Review

  • 80

    out of 100

    Variety Todd McCarthy

    On balance, this is a meaty, strongly realized dramatic work of considerable accomplishment.

    Read Full Review

  • 80

    out of 100

    Time Mary Pols

    The scenes cut so close to the emotional bone that you can understand why they might cause a panic amongst MPAA boardmembers, although of course, it's nothing to be afraid of: just the realism of love in its varied forms.

    Read Full Review

  • 80

    out of 100

    The New Yorker Anthony Lane

    Nothing out of the ordinary happens in Blue Valentine, and that, together with the vital, untrammelled performances of the two leading actors, is the root of its power.

    Read Full Review

  • 88

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    Derek Cianfrance, the film's writer and director, observes with great exactitude the birth and decay of a relationship. This film is alive in its details.

    Read Full Review

  • 90

    out of 100

    Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

    Here's one vote for the most affecting, anguishing, revealing and prophetic scene of the movie year-and yes, it's all of those things at once in a powerful film that alternates between moments of earlier happiness and later pain.

    Read Full Review

  • See all Blue Valentine reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

not for kids

Agonizing but beautiful adult drama about love and marriage.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this intense, moving drama about a young couple’s rocky relationship is fraught with moments that are both tender and true, with the truest being the most anguished. The complex, heavy material -- which includes abortion and hints of alcoholism -- will likely overwhelm most kids, except perhaps for the oldest of teenagers. Expect some sexual scenes with partial nudity (including one that originally earned the film an NC-17 rating, which was reduced to an R on appeal), swearing (including "f--k" and more), and drinking, as well as a number of forceful arguments.

  • Families can talk about the movie's messages about relationships. Does it seem realistic? Would you want a relationship like the one portrayed here? Parents, talk to your teens about your family's values concerning dating and relationships.
  • How does the relationship portrayed here compare to other movies about couples? Is it similar or different?
  • Why do you think the movie was originally rated NC-17? Why do you think it was changed to an R?

The good stuff
  • message true0

    Messages: There's lots of complicated, messy relationship stuff here, but at its heart, the movie is saying that you can't have the good without the bad. The message is that relationships are both beautiful and ugly, sometimes at the same time; they buoy you and make you question yourself.

  • rolemodels true0

    Role models: The characters are multi-dimensional and realistically drawn; they’re flawed human beings who make mistakes and can’t always fix them. But most of them are warm, loving, and giving, too.

What to watch for
  • violence false3

    Violence: Three men ambush a man at work and beat him up; they’re shown kicking and punching him. Afterward, his face is swollen and bloodied. A couple argues bitterly during an intimate moment.

  • sex false4

    Sex: This film was initially given an NC-17 rating for a scene of explicit sexual content but was re-rated R on appeal. A man and a woman are shown in a sexual position; his behind is somewhat visible, as is a side view of hers. A couple takes a shower together; her breasts are bare. A married couple is also seen bickering while trying to have sex.

  • language false4

    Language: Frequent strong language includes "f--k," "s--t," “bitch,” “a--hole,” “jackass,” “p---y,” “motherf--ker,” “c--t," "hell," and "goddamn."

  • consumerism false1

    Consumerism: Logos for Budweiser and Steinway Moving and Storage.

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: A character drinks fairly steadily, sometimes throughout the day. He also smokes often. A couple loads up on liquor that they imbibe in a motel.

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.

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Fan Reviews provided by

Average Rating: 3.667
Read all reviews Write a review at Fandango
2

Blue Valentine by lddcw
II saw this on cable the other day. There was much hype about the oral sex scene. Like most movies, the sex and nudity was gratuitous, but I guess they felt the need to contrast the happy, in lust (not necessarily in love) mode to the 5 plus years later every day drudgery mode with unwanted sexual advances and "wifely duty" sex. Admittedly, I don't care for heavy dramas and relationship movies. For me, this was dull and the time just dragged on. You could see that she was a middle class girl who should never have hooked up with a lower class, blue collar guy. She got pregnant, so they got married; big shock that the relationship fell apart. They wanted different things out of life from the beginning. The fact that they never really worked on or nurtured the marriage showed the character?s immaturity and self-centeredness. They just represented so many of today's stupid, impulsive people who don't think things through. I just wanted to slap some sense into both of them.

5

by ourreddog

4

by QBad3

5

by maziara

4


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