Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Children Act

Play trailer 2:04 Poster for The Children Act R Released Sep 14, 2018 1h 45m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
74% Tomatometer 112 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Judge Fiona May must race against the clock to determine the fate of a teenage boy in need of a lifesaving blood transfusion, stretching her life and her fractured marriage to the breaking point.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The Children Act

The Children Act

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The Children Act showcases yet another powerful performance from Emma Thompson, who elevates this undeniably flawed picture into an affecting adult drama.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (112) Critics Reviews
Linda Marric HeyUGuys Emma Thompson once again proves she's our finest actress working today. The power of the film is diluted slightly by an insistence of adherence to the source but the fine performances shine through. Rated: 3/5 Jun 5, 2019 Full Review David Stratton The Australian This is a film that poses important moral and legal questions, but it's also a personal story in which a diligent woman, who regularly faces intense criticism, has to confront several deeply troubling personal problems. Rated: 4/5 Nov 26, 2018 Full Review Wenlei Ma News.com.au The Children Act is a mature and thoughtful film that is, above all, a wonderful showcase for a brilliant Emma Thompson. Rated: 3.5/5 Nov 25, 2018 Full Review Max Greene InSession Film It toys with your emotions, but never enough to make you care too much about the main character. Perhaps this is the point; to keep the audience at a cold distance, mimicking the barrier of law that Fiona Maye uses to protect herself... Rated: B Aug 1, 2024 Full Review Alix Turner Ready Steady Cut A simple story about a senior judge's decision against the backdrop of her grinding-to-a-halt marriage made more complex because of the consequences. A film which will make you think about your world, instead of escape from it. Rated: 4/5 Feb 2, 2021 Full Review Zehra Phelan Flavourmag The first half sets a fundamental picture of elegance and nuanced complexity. However, it's second act wanes in this momentum, it almost feels like there is a big chunk of an essential storyline missing to complete a fulfilling centrepiece. Rated: 3/5 Jul 22, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (76) audience reviews
Grania H This is a throughly gripping film, both beautiful and profoundly moving. Emma Thompson is excellent as a senior judge who has invested so much of herself into her legal career and judicial persona that she has lost sight of herself. Even her downtime is filled with the rigor of studious piano playing, echoing the order and discipline that form the structure of who she has become. She has sealed herself off from life so successfully that even her husband's pleas for their marriage bounce off her with apparent minimal emotional impact. But the beautiful and inspired youth she meets as a consequence of her deciding a legal dispute over his fate touches her in a way that clearly nothing else had, for many years.. The divine blend of beauty and tragedy that is so hard to capture in any work of art. The impossibility of denying emotion in life is challenged in a surprising, lovely and dreadful way. Great pathos Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/27/24 Full Review Andrew W This film began with promise, mainly owing to the fact that it starred Emma Thompson. But it was this star lead that gave the film the appearance of being far better than it actually was. Had she been a man and he a girl, that long, lingering kiss in the pouring rain would’ve drawn a collective gasp of disdain from audiences and critics alike, provoking thoughts of Lolita or words like ‘inappropriate,’ and worse ‘paedophile’ ringing out from every living room in the world. Sad how female leads attract sympathy whereas male leads attract negative and media-hyped judgements. Thompson’s character was too thinly-layered for the film to have delivered on the pathos it intended to provoke with audiences. She: a white, upper-class, privileged Londoner with a dazzling career going through a few marital issues. He: a cancer-stricken young boy with controlling, religious zealots as parents. As a result, this onscreen partnership lacked substance and the film lost its credibility. Rubbish. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/02/24 Full Review ivan c A quality thought provoking film, excellent acting and great dialogue. Quintessential British film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/26/24 Full Review Lynn Y I thought this was brilliant, far better than expected. Grear central performances. A real tear jerker. Thought-provoking. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/25/24 Full Review Georgan G Difficult choices in the truly examined life. Emma Thompson's character, a judge in Family Court, has both professional & personal choices to grapple with. Great to see a drama so moving. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/14/24 Full Review The Great John A While the first half is riddled with clichés and an uneven pace the minute Fionn Whitehead shows up I realised I hit a jackpot from a24. His acting combined with the heavyweight 2 time oscar winner Emma Thompson is unmatched compared to other a24 performances recently. While Stanley Tucci was a bit miscast it still doesn't make the film the end of the world for me. Overall amazing acting from Emma and Fionn combined with a beautiful second half elevates the film to 4 stars. Close to perfection and would recommend this to a a24 film buff. Grade: A Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Children Act

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

What They Had 87% 82% What They Had Watchlist TRAILER for What They Had Woodshock 27% 24% Woodshock Watchlist TRAILER for Woodshock The Headhunter's Calling 17% 57% The Headhunter's Calling Watchlist TRAILER for The Headhunter's Calling Weightless 55% 42% Weightless Watchlist TRAILER for Weightless Continue 94% 90% Continue Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Judge Fiona May must race against the clock to determine the fate of a teenage boy in need of a lifesaving blood transfusion, stretching her life and her fractured marriage to the breaking point.
Director
Richard Eyre
Producer
Duncan Kenworthy
Screenwriter
Ian McEwan
Distributor
A24
Production Co
Toledo Productions
Rating
R (A Sexual Reference)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 14, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 11, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$432.5K
Runtime
1h 45m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
Most Popular at Home Now