The Circle

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2:26

The Circle

PG-13

Released Apr 28, 2017

1h 50m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

15%

Tomatometer

146 Reviews

21%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Mae Holland (Emma Watson) seizes the opportunity of a lifetime when she lands a job with the world's most powerful technology and social media company. Encouraged by the company's founder (Tom Hanks), Mae joins a groundbreaking experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics and personal freedom. Her participation in the experiment, and every decision she makes soon starts to affect the lives and futures of her friends, family and that of humanity.

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Critics Consensus

The Circle assembles an impressive cast, but this digitally driven thriller spins aimlessly in its half-hearted exploration of timely themes.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Director James Ponsoldt (who adapted the book with Eggers) barely develops any character besides Watson's, piling on narrative complications instead.

Apr 9, 2020

Full Review

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

Bland performances from talented actors, and boring direction from a very talented director, and awful editing...

Rated: D

May 12, 2018

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Paul Byrnes

The Age (Australia)

An idea in a Hollywood thriller is almost an accident now, so The Circle deserves praise for thoughtfulness.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 23, 2017

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Regardless of what it teases, “The Circle” doesn’t really go anywhere and that may be its biggest flaw – lots of potential, practically all of it wasted.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The film never delves into a thorough consideration of its concept; and what's more, the story lacks a narrative thrust to support its otherwise neat ideas.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 4, 2022

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The sort of movie that's convinced of its own urgency and importance, even as viewers only see something that's obvious and overbearing.

Rated: 1.5/4

Nov 1, 2021

Full Review

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Marlene A

That's the first piece of stinky I've seen with Tom Hanks in it. I so regret the time I've spent watching this idiotic movie. It tries to make some point, but it doesn't, and the acting is not the best either. I wish I had seen the reviews before I wasted my time.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/31/24

Full Review

Olivia B

Like others have said, impressive cast lineup and you can tell they had potential for a great movie. Good theme and general concept but the acting was lackluster and it seemed a bit rushed, not enough build time for emotional investment. Bummer.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/28/24

Full Review

David H

This is a movie that gives you the feeling that it should have been much better than it is

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/24/24

Full Review

Kyle A

Awesome concept with terrible execution. Kept waiting for it to get good but never did and the ending was abrupt.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/22/24

Full Review

alan g

Abuse of an excellent cast. Hanks and Watson are wasted. Misstep by the leads. How did they choose this piece of trash?

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/08/24

Full Review

Kirsten W

I thought it was boring. As other reviewers have said, the ideas and ramifications of AI could’ve been explored much deeper, but they were not. The ending is shockingly poor! I wasn’t sure I even saw it, so I pulled the movie up again to watch the ending. I did see it, but I thought it was just the end of a scene not the whole darn movie!!!

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/29/24

Full Review

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James Ponsoldt

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Emma Watson

Mae Holland

Tom Hanks

Eamon Bailey

John Boyega

Ty

Karen Gillan

Annie

Ellar Coltrane

Mercer

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The Circle: Trailer 2

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The Circle: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Mae Holland (Emma Watson) seizes the opportunity of a lifetime when she lands a job with the world's most powerful technology and social media company. Encouraged by the company's founder (Tom Hanks), Mae joins a groundbreaking experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics and personal freedom. Her participation in the experiment, and every decision she makes soon starts to affect the lives and futures of her friends, family and that of humanity.

Director: James Ponsoldt
Producer: Gary Goetzman, Anthony Bregman, James Ponsoldt
Screenwriter: James Ponsoldt, Dave Eggers
Distributor: STX Entertainment
Production Co: Likely Story, Route One Entertainment, Playtone
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Strong Language|A Sexual Situation|Drug Use|Some Thematic Elements)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 28, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 17, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.5M
Runtime: 1h 50m

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