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Dance First

Play trailer 2:26 Poster for Dance First Released Aug 9 1h 40m Biography Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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43% Tomatometer 35 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Literary genius Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his way, he was a man acutely aware of his own failings. Titled after Beckett's famous ethos "Dance first, think later," the film is a sweeping account of the life of this 20th-century icon.
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Dance First

Critics Reviews

View All (35) Critics Reviews
Kyle Smith Wall Street Journal Parts of the film are so good that it’s a shame it strikes so many false notes. Aug 16, 2024 Full Review Glenn Kenny RogerEbert.com It frequently seems that what the movie ultimately wants from Samuel Beckett is for him not to have been…well, Samuel Beckett. Rated: 2/4 Aug 12, 2024 Full Review Ben Kenigsberg New York Times “Dance First,” a Beckett biopic from James Marsh (“The Theory of Everything”), offers simple explanations for the career of a writer whose output famously resists explaining. Aug 12, 2024 Full Review Devon Webb Spectrum Culture Dance First lets down its subject with a disrespectfully shallow approach to the life and work of playwright Samuel Beckett, which leaves us waiting, waiting, waiting, on a narrative that never seems to arrive. Sep 16, 2024 Full Review Clotilde Chinnici Loud and Clear Reviews While there is a lot to be appreciated in terms of its artistic endeavours, Marsh’ film is not entirely successful the very thing we would have expected from a biopic Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 14, 2024 Full Review Carla Hay Culture Mix Dance First (a biopic of writer Samuel Beckett) crafts his life story like a stylish but uneven patchwork quilt. The cast members' performances can keep viewers interested when some scenes drag with monotony. The movie mostly ignores his creative talent. Aug 24, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (2) audience reviews
P.J. L A stunning film carried by outstanding performances. I was aware of a lot of Beckett's history so I was curious to see how the film would flesh most of it out and I was not disappointed. Byrne gives a stellar performance that I hope is not forgotten when award season rolls around. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/26/24 Full Review Fyre S It´s like it was written by someone who only read Beckett´s life story without reading any on his work, just heard that Waiting for Godot is weird. very boring film. No depth, no research or any effort to make it closer to Beckett´s style. The actors are very good definitely but one can see that this is a very superficial film not made for those who love the author. disappointing. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/22/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Dance First

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Movie Info

Synopsis Literary genius Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his way, he was a man acutely aware of his own failings. Titled after Beckett's famous ethos "Dance first, think later," the film is a sweeping account of the life of this 20th-century icon.
Director
James Marsh
Producer
Michael Livingstone, Tom Thostrup, Viktória Petrányi
Screenwriter
Neil Forsyth
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Production Co
Film Constellation, Umedia, Proton Cinema, Sky Arts, 2LE Media
Genre
Biography, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 9, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 16, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA)
$24.7K
Runtime
1h 40m
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