Great Expectations

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Great Expectations

R

Released Jan 30, 1998

1h 51m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

39%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

56%

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25,000+ Ratings

Loosely based on the Charles Dickens' classic novel, "Great Expectations" is a sensual tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who will undeniably change his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, "Great Expectations" takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences.

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Critics Consensus

Great Expectations is all surface tension: beautiful people shot in beautiful locations without any depth or emotion.

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Ruthe Stein

San Francisco Chronicle

Rated: 1/4

Jun 18, 2002

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Globe and Mail

Rated: 3/4

Apr 12, 2002

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Russell Smith

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 4.5/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

The film has a defining contemporary hipness, and features good work by Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. But it's more a meditation on its source than a filming of it.

Rated: B+

Jan 19, 2023

Full Review

PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

Where the film fails is in its commercial proclivity to centre the narrative trajectory around a fairly asinine updating of the Pip/Estella love-match into a soppy romance.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 27, 2019

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Grace Montgomery

Common Sense Media

Visually stunning retelling has nudity, lots of swearing.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 8, 2016

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Gail M

Beautiful and poetic, better version than the book

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/31/24

Full Review

Nevin C

Why on earth are the ratings on this movie so low?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/25/24

Full Review

Alec B

A noble effort of sorts. The problem isn't the modernization but rather the romance which is mostly lifeless and dull.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

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J K

This film has aged better than people would like to admit.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/14/24

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Farah R

If there were the worst way to reimagine a classic tale for a modern audience, it'd be this one. Great Expectations barely scratches the surface of Dickens' themes and chooses to focus on aesthetics alone—a bunch of pretty actors in pretty shots and nothing more. There's no depth nor substance.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/16/23

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Steve D

Unimaginably bad especially for fan of the book.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/21/23

Full Review

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Alfonso Cuarón

Director

Ethan Hawke

Finnegan 'Finn' Bell

Gwyneth Paltrow

Estella

Hank Azaria

Walter Plane

Chris Cooper

'Uncle' Joe

Anne Bancroft

Ms. Nora Dinsmoor

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Synopsis

Loosely based on the Charles Dickens' classic novel, "Great Expectations" is a sensual tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who will undeniably change his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, "Great Expectations" takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences.

Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Producer: Art Linson
Screenwriter: Charles Dickens, Mitch Glazer
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox, Art Linson Productions
Rating: R (Some Sexuality|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 30, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $26.3M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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