The Object of Beauty

Play trailer

The Object of Beauty

R

Released Apr 12, 1991

1h 37m

Romance

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

36%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Residing in an upscale London hotel, Americans Jake (John Malkovich) and Tina (Andie MacDowell) are living a glamorous dream from which they are about to receive a startling wake-up call. It turns out the pair have been spending far beyond their means, and the bill is finally due. In a pinch, they concoct an insurance fraud scheme involving a very valuable sculpture. Then the statue is stolen by a deaf-mute cleaning lady (Rudi Davies), and the couple is shocked to find out it's missing.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

By the end of the film, the plot has been worked out to everyone's satisfaction, but the plot isn't really that important. What is important is the ways that people love one another.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Dull romantic comedy, whose emptiness and not too likable protagonists keep things static.

Rated: C+

Sep 24, 2008

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Unfolding as a comedy of manners and a morality tale, the film is not preachy and there is no suggestion of redemption. The text may be slight but it's imbued with ambiguity--and entertaining too.

Rated: B-

Sep 17, 2006

Full Review

Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

Rated: 1.5/5

Mar 2, 2006

Full Review

Read all reviews

Alain E

An interesting movie that toyed with the idea of becoming a tragedy, but at the very end allowed everyone to live happily ever after. Malkovich (young and with hair) and Andie MacDowell are an American couple with no income who live the high life in an upscale London hotel, expecting that it will last until it cannot go anymore. At some point they realize that they own a small sculpture by Henry Moore, which can be sold for a tidy sum of money. Then the object disappears. Unless it is recovered, they may have to face severe consequences. The first part of the movie is like a Charles Bukowski story, at a higher income level and without the racetrack.in the happy ending the protagonists contemplate starting a family.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/22/25

Full Review

Jeffrey P B

Really slow story with little in the way of plot intrigue, so complicated a 10 yr old could keep up. McDowell is beautiful, but her acting skills are limited. In the bedroom, when she's mad at Malkovich's character, her attempt at outrage is laughable. I suggest instead of watching this movie, go out and do ... well, pretty much anything is better than watching this.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/23/23

Full Review

Banke d

Good character development, good plot, good twist and great ending. What more could you ask for in a movie!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I like this movie a lot, but I would never think to call it a comedy. And it's certainly not a rom-com. I remembered really enjoying it when I first saw it back in the 90s and I recently watched it again. The wardrobe and score are a bit dated (the score sounds like an episode of Seinfeld), but the movie's themes are as relevant as ever.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Sleepy, pretty, elegantishly precarious tale that filled up the morning.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Frances H

Not hilarious, but mildly humorous. What I found so ironic is that the object in question was not to me an object of beauty. However, the character I liked the best was the deaf maid, who honestly found it to be so.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/28/14

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Michael Lindsay-Hogg

Director

John Malkovich

Jake

Andie MacDowell

Tina

Lolita Davidovich

Joan

Rudi Davies

Jenny

Joss Ackland

Mr. Mercer

Born Romantic

58%

55%

Born Romantic

Watchlist

The Marrying Man

10%

44%

The Marrying Man

Watchlist

Pretty Woman

65%

68%

Pretty Woman

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Pretty Woman

Four Weddings and a Funeral

92%

74%

Four Weddings and a Funeral

Watchlist

Hear My Song

90%

76%

Hear My Song

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Residing in an upscale London hotel, Americans Jake (John Malkovich) and Tina (Andie MacDowell) are living a glamorous dream from which they are about to receive a startling wake-up call. It turns out the pair have been spending far beyond their means, and the bill is finally due. In a pinch, they concoct an insurance fraud scheme involving a very valuable sculpture. Then the statue is stolen by a deaf-mute cleaning lady (Rudi Davies), and the couple is shocked to find out it's missing.

Director: Michael Lindsay-Hogg
Screenwriter: Michael Lindsay-Hogg
Production Co: BBC, Avenue Pictures Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 12, 1991, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 1, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA): $201.6K
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Surround

Most Popular at Home Now