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Notes on a Scandal

Play trailer Poster for Notes on a Scandal R Released Dec 27, 2006 1h 38m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 175 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Barbara Covett (Judi Dench), a veteran teacher at St. George's, senses a kindred spirit in Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett), the school's new art teacher. The younger woman's charisma intensely draws in the older, and the two become friends. Then Barbara learns of Sheba's affair with a teenage student and becomes the keeper of the explosive secret.
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Notes on a Scandal

Notes on a Scandal

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Critics Consensus

In this sharp psychological thriller, Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett give fierce, memorable performances as two schoolteachers locked in a battle of wits.

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Critics Reviews

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Amy Nicholson I.E. Weekly Smart and brash, it's a picture Bette Davis and Joan Crawford would have killed (preferably each other) to be in. Rated: A- May 15, 2009 Full Review Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald That's the wonder of the film: it's about the vicious power of loneliness, played out through a story of two women in love. The tragedy, for both of them, is that it's not with each other. Feb 9, 2007 Full Review Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor Blanchett has also recently appeared in The Good German and Babel, but this represents far and away her best work. Rated: A Feb 9, 2007 Full Review Farah Cheded A Good Movie To Watch A gripping twin character study... Darkly camp and spanning just 92 perfectly paced minutes, this is an intense immersion into two very ugly psyches. Sep 2, 2023 Full Review Murtada Elfadl Sundays with Cate Despite the trope of the predatory lesbian being the engine behind its plot, Notes on a Scandal is delicious fun. A most enjoyable entry into the hagsploitation genre with serious art house credentials. Rated: A Mar 30, 2021 Full Review PJ Nabarro Patrick Nabarro Dench is compelling, and offers a transcendent portrait of a sociopath, whose bitter, fantasy-inflected interaction with the outside world is informed by a colossal solipsism. Rated: 3/5 Oct 29, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Raquel E Unsettling from start to finish. Judi Dench is haunting, and the dynamic between the characters is raw and obsessive. It pulls you in with intensity but leaves you feeling uneasy and emotionally drained. Powerful, but not something I’d want to revisit. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/20/25 Full Review Ava S Blanchett and Dench go head-to-head in Notes on a Scandal, an intense thriller showcasing their acting prowess, though it only scratches the surface of the women's underlying motivations. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/29/25 Full Review Stephen C Pride is everywhere in 1 hour and 38 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Some Aberrant Sexual Content and Language!!!!!!!!! Starring Judi Dench as a lesbian, and that's all right with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $17,500,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/28/25 Full Review A.L.Jude P A plot akin to the magnitude of a twister was finally subdued into nothingness. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/22/25 Full Review thiago s Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, a história é fraca, os personagens sao fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes para fazer o filme ser bom. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 04/30/25 Full Review The H Characters are really in depth with a lot of layers, nobody is cookie cutter or black & white, kind of hard to root for anyone because everyone is wrong in their own way, but man sometimes you really feel bad for both of the main characters even though they're both kind of in the wrong. A movie that shows you good people can do bad things or be tricked into making mistakes. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/18/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Notes on a Scandal

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Cast & Crew

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Richard Eyre

Director

Cate Blanchett

Sheba Hart

Judi Dench

Barbara Covett

Bill Nighy

Richard Hart

Tameka Empson

Antonia Robinson

Max Lewis

Ben

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Notes on a Scandal

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Movie Info

Synopsis Barbara Covett (Judi Dench), a veteran teacher at St. George's, senses a kindred spirit in Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett), the school's new art teacher. The younger woman's charisma intensely draws in the older, and the two become friends. Then Barbara learns of Sheba's affair with a teenage student and becomes the keeper of the explosive secret.
Director
Richard Eyre
Producer
Scott Rudin, Robert Fox, Allon Reich, Andrew Macdonald
Screenwriter
Patrick Marber
Distributor
Fox
Production Co
DNA Films
Rating
R (Some Aberrant Sexual Content|Language)
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 27, 2006, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$17.5M
Runtime
1h 38m
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