The Midwife

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The Midwife

Released Jul 21, 2017

1h 57m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

89 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Claire is a tightly wound midwife who forms an unlikely friendship with Béatrice, her late father's free-spirited mistress. Though polar opposites, the two women come to rely on each other after Béatrice reveals that she has brain cancer.

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Critics Consensus

The Midwife takes a rewardingly patient approach to potentially melodramatic material, emerging with a well-acted, emotionally resonant character study.

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David Stratton

The Australian

This is a minor French movie but, thanks to its actors, a modestly engaging one.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 27, 2017

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

After sketching the differences between Beatrice and Claire, his script gives the two actresses every incentive to banish any thought of lapsing into stereotype.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 25, 2017

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Linda Barnard

Toronto Star

Predictability can be forgiven with the luminous talents of Catherine Deneuve and riveting Catherine Frot (Marguerite) as long-estranged women reunited in writer/director Martin Provost's drama.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 29, 2017

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Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Cinema

It takes some time for 'The Midwife' to get there, and when it does, it does so quietly. But with Deneuve and Frot as traveling companions, at least you know the destination will be worth it.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 28, 2021

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David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

When does a soap-opera-style plot transcend its seedy origins and deserve to be taken seriously?

Jun 5, 2020

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Becomes a tizzy of increasingly milquetoast sketches.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 10, 2019

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Robin h

Nothing earth shattering, but it definitely delivers what you're probably hoping for: a sweet, comforting, sincere film with Catherine Deneuve in it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/29/17

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Audience Member

Great French film starring two great French actresses. There are scenes of women having babies and sweet shots of their first moments with their babies, but the film is more about the relationship between two estranged women.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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Audience Member

Boring! And way too long.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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parrish h

A must-see for Catherine Deneuve fans. In her mid-70s she looks fabulous and plays an outrageous character that doesn't seem far from how I imagine her real self. Small story about an unusual relationship. The other lead is a midwife, but that's just background. A plus however as we see lots of births and newborns. Film is very engaging. I was surprised to find we had been watching for two hours.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Superb acting, yes, but also extraordinary writing, direction and photography. It's been a while since I enjoyed a movie this much.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Audience Member

The distinct minority of The Midwife reviews that are negative generally find the movie treacly and thin and the ending contrived (conclusions I disagree with strongly). But they also uniformly find that the only reason to see it is the strong performances from the leads. Granted, for the sake of argument, that their criticisms have validity, why wouldn't the opportunity to see a tour de force duel between two of our best actresses, Catherine Frot and Catherine Deneuve, rate a fresh tomato on its own? That factor would place this movie above 90% of this year's meager offerings for me!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

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Martin Provost

Director

Catherine Frot

Claire Breton

Catherine Deneuve

Béatrice Sobolevski

Olivier Gourmet

Paul Baron

Quentin Dolmaire

Simon

Mylène Demongeot

Rolande

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The Midwife: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Claire is a tightly wound midwife who forms an unlikely friendship with Béatrice, her late father's free-spirited mistress. Though polar opposites, the two women come to rely on each other after Béatrice reveals that she has brain cancer.

Director: Martin Provost
Producer: Olivier Delbosc
Screenwriter: Martin Provost
Distributor: Music Box Films
Production Co: France 3 Cinéma, Curiosa Films, Versus Production
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 21, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 17, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $603.1K
Runtime: 1h 57m

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