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(1 - 42) of 42 OFCS Rating: 93% Fresh Page   1   "[T]his can't be called naturalism ... Vera has to represent the bad medicine that fills the gap for low-income women, the bad medicine that results inevitably from bad law."   Blogcritics.org   Alan Dale "Despite an occasionally hampering pace, Vera Drake is worth [it] because of its impeccably conceived and acted characters and the moral quagmire they present us with."   european-films.net   Boyd van Hoeij "The war has disturbed all of their lives intensely, and if they don't quite have the words to express their trauma, they do have a sense of shared experience."   PopMatters   Cynthia Fuchs 3/4 "Another bleak, harrowingly realistic drama from Mike Leigh highlighted by a phenomenal star turn by Imelda Staunton in the title role."   Movie Boeuf   David N. Butterworth A "Imelda Staunton, a noted British stage actress, gives the best performance of any actress I have seen in the last few years."   Ozus' World Movie Reviews   Dennis Schwartz "The title heroine's goodness may stretch credulity, but such people do in fact exist."   ReelTalk Movie Reviews   Donald J. Levit 8/10 "Word "great" doesn't do justice to what Imelda Staunton delivers with her performance."   Draxblog Movie Reviews   Dragan Antulov 3/4 "Like any good Leigh film, Vera Drake is about the nature of family, which is the same thing as the nature of humanity."   Slant Magazine   Ed Gonzalez 4/5 "La película confirma a Mike Leigh como uno de los mejores representantes del cine británico, y a Imelda Staunton como una de sus mejores actrices."   Uruguay Total   Enrique Buchichio B+ "Every detail of the film breathes with authenticity, fully creating the grimy, working-class world of post-war London, and the characters behave like real people."   EricDSnider.com   Eric D. Snider A "A tremendously moving portrait of a woman whose morality is so simple and pure that discovering a diametrically opposed point of view nearly destroys her."   Film Blather   Eugene Novikov B "May not match Leigh's finest films, but it's still superior to the best most other directors have to offer."   One Guy's Opinion   Frank Swietek 5/5 "Vera Drake delivers what is rarely seen in contemporary films: a deft and sympathetic depiction of a good person whose compassion and kindness are the real thing."   Spirituality and Practice   Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat 3.5/4 "I found Vera Drake most interesting in its portrayal of a woman in a crisis, and the subsequent emotional reactions it provokes in her and her family."   eCinemaCenter.com   Gabe Leibowitz C+ "Even with his film's solid foundation, Leigh seemingly cannot resist the pulpy histrionics."   Mixed Reviews   Gabriel Shanks 3.5/4 "For those who have the patience to become absorbed in this kind of drama, Vera Drake offers a stunningly real character portrait whose image will linger long after the movie has faded."   ReelViews   James Berardinelli 5/5 "In postwar Britain, Vera Drake helps the needy and pays for it dearly in Mike Leigh's underplayed and overwhelming drama."   Netflix   James Rocchi 4/4 "Mike Leigh demonstrates genuine fondness for his plucky lead and the ambiguities of her plight."   Palo Alto Weekly   Jeanne Aufmuth 9/10 "The character of Vera ... is the argument for regarding the issue [of abortion] with an indispensible caring selflessness."   Window to the Movies   Jeffrey Chen 75/100 "Staunton's method serves Vera Drake so powerfully that a BAFTA must surely beckon."   FilmFocus   Joe Utichi 7/10 "Staunton is magnificent, and seems destined for year-end accolades (but why is Drake being released so early in the season?)."   Planet Sick-Boy   Jon Popick 4.5/5 "You will be hearing a lot about Imelda Staunton for the next few months, hopefully right up until the moment Sean Penn says, “And the Oscar goes to…Imelda Staunton.”"   Cinerina   Karina Montgomery 3.5/5 "Any woman here who is upwardly mobile or well-to-do is performed like a second-rate Noel Coward sophisticate."   Film-Forward.com   Kent Turner B "offers up its heroine as a deluded saint, an "old dearie" made sacrificial victim to England's class system"   Reeling Reviews   Laura Clifford "Staunton lends the role of Vera a great emotional complexity, eschewing any facile moral response to the social and sexual issues at the heart of the film."   Not Coming to a Theater Near You   Leo Goldsmith B+ "Vera Drake succeeds because Leigh is not interested in sloganeering but in looking at the human and moral cost."   Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema   Mark Pfeiffer 3/4 "A very good drama, rich cinematography, and an impeccable performance by Staunton"   Movie Habit   Marty Mapes "[A]bout nothing if not how the realities of women’s lives don’t always intersect with men’s... understanding of reality."   Flick Filosopher   MaryAnn Johanson 4.5/5 "As in all of Mike Leigh's films, there's not a bad performance in the lot."   Goatdog's Movies   Michael W. Phillips, Jr. B+ "Puts a tender human face on this explosive subject."   Lessons of Darkness   Nick Schager 5/5 "Moralmente complexo, está longe de representar uma experiência 'satisfatória' para o espectador, que sairá emocionalmente esgotado do cinema. Isto o engrandece ainda mais."   Cinema em Cena   Pablo Villaca 2/5 "A Mike Leigh mistake."   Film Threat   Phil Hall 5/5 "Mike Leigh is still making films that bristle with honesty and life, fearlessly tackling issues that other filmmakers won't touch."   Shadows on the Wall   Rich Cline B "Great acting, but low on drama because of its lack of suspense and avoidance of the toughest moral issues in the abortion debate."   Laramie Movie Scope   Robert Roten B "Imelda Staunton is the picture of the "old dearie" that you can only find, it seem, in working-class neighborhoods in England."   Reeling Reviews   Robin Clifford B+ "Moves slowly but stays engaging, guided by the storyteller’s masterful touch."   Eclipse Magazine   Sean O'Connell 4/4 "A must-see for anyone who likes challenging dramatic fare."   Reel.com   Timothy Knight 3.5/4 "At their best, Leigh's pictures are confrontational without being invasive."   Film Freak Central   Walter Chaw "Click here to see review"   Wolf Entertainment Guide   William Wolf 7/10 Read review   Movie Gazette   Anton Bitel 3/4 Read review   Big Picture Big Sound   Joe Lozito Read review   In the Dark   Jonathan F. Richards  (1 - 42) of 42 OFCS Rating: 93% Fresh Page   1