75
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumWriter Petr Jarchovsky and director Jan Hrebejk collaborated on the formidable "Up and Down" (2004), and this 2006 feature, which takes its title from a Robert Graves poem, is equally impressive for its mastery, intelligence, and ambition in juggling intricate plot strands and memorable characters.
- 90VarietyEddie CockrellVarietyEddie CockrellRecent history once again intrudes on the present-day lives of working Czechs in the masterful multicharacter drama Beauty in Trouble.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasConsistently inventive and surprising, Beauty in Trouble evokes human nature in all its strengths and weaknesses, contradictions and ambiguities. It is itself a beauty -- rich in imagery, deftly paced and structured.
- 75TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghA subtle, unsparing portrait of families whose fragile dynamics fray under pressure. Its strength lies in the complexity with which the characters are written.
- 75Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaPhiladelphia InquirerSteven ReaBeauty in Trouble offers a meditation on the legacies of communism and the lure of capitalism, but also on the human need for love, connection and family.
- 75Boston GlobeBoston GlobeThis being a Czech film, drama, comedy, history, and social commentary are served up in equal proportion.
- 70The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisA movie of stark contrasts and zigzagging motives, Beauty in Trouble moves from the golden serenity of a Tuscan villa to the powdery chaos of a Czech garage without sacrificing thematic confidence or nuanced performances.
- 70Washington PostAnn HornadayWashington PostAnn HornadayWhether they're navigating a recently flooded Prague or the pristine waters of a Tuscan swimming pool, the fiends and angels who populate Beauty in Trouble are like so many scorpions explaining why they sting the fabled frog trying to help them: "It's my nature."
- 50New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoWill Marcela (wonderful Ana Geislerova) opt for brains or brawn? The answer might surprise you.
- 50L.A. WeeklyL.A. WeeklyUnfortunately, Hrebejk settles for unsatisfying allusions to the Czech experience that never break through the melodrama to make his case with any conviction.