The Object of Beauty

R

Released Apr 12, 1991

1h 37m

Romance

Comedy

List

77%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

36%

Audience Score

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.

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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

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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

dave j

Written and directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg that have high class couple Jake (John Malkovich) and Tina (Andie McDowell) learning that they are running low on their finances. Motivating Jake to wanting to sell a priceless artifact he had bought for his wife, Tina. Tina on the other hand suggested to pretend to have the artifact stolen and for the intention of claiming insurance money on it with one of the hotel maids expressing some interest in it. The priceless artifact does go missing leaving viewers to 3 or 4 possible suspects who are Jake and his wife Tina and the maid. The possible fourth suspect can be Tina suggesting to her friend, Joan (Lolita Davidovich) to be the one to pretend to steal it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

adam b

This isn't my go-to genre but I can say there's enough here to warrant a viewing. The performances are great but the story does lack, especially toward the end

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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

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Michael Lindsay-Hogg

Director

John Malkovich

Jake

Andie MacDowell

Tina

Lolita Davidovich

Joan

Rudi Davies

Jenny

Joss Ackland

Mr. Mercer

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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: Avenue Pictures Productions, BBC
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

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