Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      The Lover

      R Released Oct 30, 1992 1 hr. 43 min. Romance List
      28% 25 Reviews Tomatometer 79% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score Set in 1920s colonial Indochina, a pretty, virginal French teenager (Jane March) meets a handsome Chinese playboy (Tony Leung Ka Fai) from a respectable family. Going against the conventions of their respective societies, the lustful pair begin a torrid affair in a seedy Saigon neighborhood. Their strong attraction towards one another is only intensified by the illicit nature of their rendezvous. Given such circumstances, can their relationship last? Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Mar 24 Rent Now

      Where to Watch

      The Lover

      Fandango at Home Apple TV

      Rent The Lover on Fandango at Home, Apple TV, or buy it on Apple TV.

      Audience Reviews

      View All (526) audience reviews
      Hans S Some movies or stories can hardly turn old ... Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/17/24 Full Review Jennifer E I saw this movie at 22 years old and still think about it at 52 years old. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/03/23 Full Review Dom If you're into history and you just happen to decide on whether you want to watch "Cinema Paradiso" or "The Lover" 1992 film, watch "Cinema Paradiso" first, particularly for cinema nostalgia enthusiasts for the "Golden Age of Hollywood" from a place that is far away from that as Italy. A lot of "The Lover" is a sadist's wet dream, the protagonist's family is abusive and very dislikable and the protagonist is more of a cardboard cut-out rather than a character you can sympathize with. Everyone in "Cinema Paradiso" is much more likable in comparison and the plot points are actually emotionally well-conveyed. I personally prefer the director's cut of "Cinema Paradiso". There were scenes in both films that made me cry (both in "The Lover" and director's cut version of "Cinema Paradiso"), which is a rare thing for me. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member The Lover follows a story of great sadness. A story ever expressed through the form of cinema. A girl who can not love the man she wants due to familiar pressure. A tale told time-and-time again but to a greater, stronger and bigger intent than ever before. The lover will leave you, the audience; spellbounded. Unable to comprehend what love is. Why human interaction is what it is. Why can't love... just be love? Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Serge L Very nice exotic and unusual story of a love somewhat forbidden but well consumed. Great location and lots of extras to make us feel the reality of it. This is incredible today to see so much without CGI. It almost feels unreal! Like this is not a film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/02/22 Full Review Audience Member the whole movie was essentially child molesting and abuse. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      50% 62% White Palace 79% 69% The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love 92% 86% The Hairdresser's Husband 68% 71% The Prince of Tides 88% 84% Like Water for Chocolate Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Photos

      View All The Lover photos

      The Lover

      The Lover (1992) The Lover (1992) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (25) Critics Reviews
      Ted Shen Chicago Reader By stripping away the voluptuous veneer of her language and the gauze of her memory, Annaud’s adaptation has reduced her artful tale... Rated: 2/4 May 26, 2022 Full Review David Ansen Newsweek The Lover's rarefied sensibility takes getting used to; once its spell is cast, you won't want to blink. Feb 8, 2018 Full Review Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times Undercut by an air of self-congratulatory pomposity that the film is way too insubstantial to support. Feb 1, 2018 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy An ofttimes emotionally sterile film. Rated: 2.5/4 Feb 27, 2022 Full Review Bill Chambers Film Freak Central Although I've watched too much grindhouse sleaze to take offense at The Lover, it's the poster child for the kind of tony trash that used to get intellectuals on its side by provoking the censors... Rated: 2/4 Feb 23, 2022 Full Review Malcolm Johnson Hartford Courant The most fascinating character in JeanJacques Annaud's film of the novel by Marguerite Duras is Vietnam, long before the terrible and futile war. May 25, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Set in 1920s colonial Indochina, a pretty, virginal French teenager (Jane March) meets a handsome Chinese playboy (Tony Leung Ka Fai) from a respectable family. Going against the conventions of their respective societies, the lustful pair begin a torrid affair in a seedy Saigon neighborhood. Their strong attraction towards one another is only intensified by the illicit nature of their rendezvous. Given such circumstances, can their relationship last?
      Director
      Jean-Jacques Annaud
      Screenwriter
      Jean-Jacques Annaud, Gérard Brach
      Distributor
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Romance
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Oct 30, 1992, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Aug 10, 2016
      Sound Mix
      Surround
      Most Popular at Home Now