The Bookshop

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2:14

The Bookshop

PG

Released Aug 24, 2018

1h 53m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

57%

Tomatometer

111 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Florence Green, a free-spirited widow, puts grief behind her and risks everything to open up a bookshop -- the first such shop in the sleepy seaside town of Hardborough, England. But this mini social revolution soon brings her fierce enemies: she invites the hostility of the town's less prosperous shopkeepers and also crosses Mrs. Gamart, Harborough's vengeful, embittered alpha female who is a wannabe doyenne of the local arts scene.

Critics Consensus

A rare adaptation that sticks too closely to its source material, The Bookshop's meticulously crafted world building gets lost in its meandering pace.

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Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

The ever-winsome Emily Mortimer glows as a struggling widow who opens a bookstore in her insular coastal town.

Mar 4, 2020

Full Review

Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

The Bookshop is a gentle, quiet film in which not a whole lot happens... But it's beautifully evocative of the musty, inviting smell of a bookshop on a cool day, or of the nostalgic pleasure of old photographs

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 5, 2018

Full Review

Scott Marks

San Diego Reader

Hang a CLOSED sign in the window: it's another film with a strong female character that's cushioned in the safety and comfort of the recent past.

Rated: 1/5

Aug 31, 2018

Full Review

Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

A film for book lovers that also both scratches that itch to chuck it all and move to the middle of nowhere, while also showing the seams of that fantasy.

Apr 11, 2025

Full Review

Diana Tuova

Spotlight on Film

A sentimentally foolish whimsy of a plot lost almost completely in confused pacing – a melodrama cooked out of nothing.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 2, 2024

Full Review

Jennifer Merin

AWFJ.org

Adapted from Penelope Fitzgerald's novel, Catalan director Isabel Coixet's The Bookshop is a rather bookish film - in a very good and comforting way.

Sep 30, 2021

Full Review

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Frans B

Great movie. So tidy, well mannered and gentle. Brilliant cast all shines in character. Very slow and quiet pace, as a bookshop should be hey? Great cinematography and very good directing and writing. Superb and very nostalgic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/05/25

Full Review

Branko O

A wonderfully crafted film with a humane, sensory touch and presence. Impeccable acting from the lead actress throughout, who stood apart from the rest of the cast that was solid all the same. A refreshing film made the good old way. If you’re not in the mood and it’s raining outside - it’s perfect.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/18/25

Full Review

Ken C

The film stars Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and Bill Nighy. This is a British nostalgia movie circa 1960s where Bill Nighy does a stellar performance and Emily Mortimer is just so British sweet. The movie stick closely to the book and is wonderfully crafted. Does tend to meander but is worth the journey

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/01/25

Full Review

Francine H

After years as a visitor to Rotten Tomatoes I literally created an account to boost the surprising (to me) rating with my one tiny review! This is a charming film with a wonderful actress in a beautiful setting. Watching it was so evocative, it felt like I was reading one of those particularly English books with a nice cup of tea.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/31/24

Full Review

Paul B

Generally I love every Bill Nighy film however this is an exception. He looks very uncomfortable with some of the dialogue and distinctly unimpressed with his "romantic" link to Emily Mortimer, who's at least twenty years his junior. I managed to watch it to the end but it was hard going. Give this one a miss.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

06/19/24

Full Review

ludo c

An absolute disaster of a movie. Intrigued by movies about the book world I was interested in watching this but it's a poor "Chocolate" type wannabe but failing at every level. The direction, screenplay and editing are at the level of a poor student film without the excuse of being someone's first project. The pacing is off and progression of the story utterly slow where it does not need to be and jumping ahead where it should not. No tension and no emotion, except when it feels false. No supporting soundtrack when there should be one and laughable when there is one. The very talented actors look like they know they are in a bad movie, visibly uncomfortable and painful to watch. A waste.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

Full Review

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Isabel Coixet

Director

Emily Mortimer

Florence Green

Bill Nighy

Edmund Brundish

Patricia Clarkson

Violet Gamart

Hunter Tremayne

Mr. Keble

Honor Kneafsey

Christine

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The Bookshop: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Florence Green, a free-spirited widow, puts grief behind her and risks everything to open up a bookshop -- the first such shop in the sleepy seaside town of Hardborough, England. But this mini social revolution soon brings her fierce enemies: she invites the hostility of the town's less prosperous shopkeepers and also crosses Mrs. Gamart, Harborough's vengeful, embittered alpha female who is a wannabe doyenne of the local arts scene.

Director: Isabel Coixet
Producer: Jaume Banacolocha, Joan Bas, Adolfo Blanco, Chris Curling
Screenwriter: Isabel Coixet
Distributor: Greenwich Entertainment
Production Co: Samson Films, One Two Films, Zephyr Films
Rating: PG (Language|Brief Smoking|Some Thematic Elements)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 24, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 15, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.5M
Runtime: 1h 53m

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