The Wife

R

Released Aug 17, 2018

1 hr. 40 min.

Drama

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List

86%

232 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Joan and Joe remain complements after nearly 40 years of marriage. Where Joe is casual, Joan is elegant. Where Joe is vain, Joan is self-effacing. And where Joe enjoys his very public role as the great American novelist, Joan pours her considerable intellect, grace, charm and diplomacy into the private role of a great man's wife. As Joe is about to be awarded the Nobel Prize for his acclaimed and prolific body of work, Joan starts to think about the shared compromises, secrets and betrayals.

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Critics Consensus

The Wife relies on the strength of Glenn Close's performance to drive home the power of its story -- and she proves thoroughly, grippingly up to the task.

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Liz P

Glen Close is brilliant, just so believable.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/04/24

Full Review

Derek C

It was a good movie, but not one that left me thinking "Wow...that was one of the better movies I have seen in a while!" Not a three but not up to a four. Very glad that Rotten Tomatoes allows 0.5 ratings - 3.5 fits perfectly.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/24

Full Review

Jeff M

Despite some fine performances and a couple powerful moments, I found this to be quite the disappointment. I was surprised to find myself bored during long stretches of the film, and I didn't find much passion in the drama. It's all a bit too polished and polite. Unfortunately, we are taken out of the story on multiple occasions by unnecessary flashbacks showing the leads when they were younger. The son, played by Max Irons, is a horribly written character who adds nothing pertinent to the story. Most of what does work can be attributed to the committed performances of the leads, although I don't think this is the best work of Close's or Pryce's filmography. Much was made about Close losing the Oscar, but I don't think this is an awards-caliber role - just a lot of staring off into space with faintly glistening eyes. And I frankly think she overplayed a couple of her more dramatic moments. With a few tweaks here and there, I think this could be turned into a good stage play. But as for the movie, it was a pondering and often predictable misfire.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/18/24

Full Review

Kati B

Really well constructed, directed, and acted!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/11/23

Full Review

Aaron S

The Wife tells a very original and understatedly thrilling story. Yeah, it's definitely a movie full of white people problems, but it is layered with universal truths that are wonderfully portrayed. The acting is insanely good and Glenn Close is impossible not to praise. Joan's (Close) wry sense of wit and simultaneous love and disdain for her husband Joe (Pryce) is so natural and charming. This is a thoroughly enjoyable movie that is more than what it seems.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/27/23

Full Review

Joanie K

Boring scrip; not worth your time. Too bad love Johnathan Price and Glenn Close

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/30/23

Full Review

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Björn Runge

Director

Glenn Close

Joan Castleman

Jonathan Pryce

Joe Castleman

Christian Slater

Nathaniel Bone

Annie Starke

Young Joan Castleman

Harry Lloyd

Young Joe Castleman

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28:03

The Wife: Trailer 1

2:17

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Edward Porter

Times (UK)

The story is eventually revealed to be a tad far-fetched, but its events make it a page-turner, and Close is not its only first-rate performer.

Nov 29, 2022

Full Review

Nell Minow

AWFJ.org

Her name is Joan and his name is Joe, suggesting that the boundaries between them are blurred. It is that blurring this movie explores, with a performance of mingled rage, guilt, passion, and integrity by the magnificent Glenn Close.

Sep 30, 2021

Full Review

Anupama Chopra

Film Companion

The Wife is an insight into long relationships, the way men and women heal and hurt each other. There are moments here that all husbands and wives will recognize. But the biggest reason to see this film is to experience the power of Glenn Close.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 15, 2019

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

“The Wife” simmers to the point of boiling over, and the outpouring of emotions we get in the third act is all but unavoidable.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 21, 2022

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

The final act has the leads throwing verbal haymakers at each other, giving The Wife the juice it sorely needed.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 16, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The Wife spends too much time investigating a relationship from the outside and not enough time exploring it from the inside.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 11, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Joan and Joe remain complements after nearly 40 years of marriage. Where Joe is casual, Joan is elegant. Where Joe is vain, Joan is self-effacing. And where Joe enjoys his very public role as the great American novelist, Joan pours her considerable intellect, grace, charm and diplomacy into the private role of a great man's wife. As Joe is about to be awarded the Nobel Prize for his acclaimed and prolific body of work, Joan starts to think about the shared compromises, secrets and betrayals.

Director: Björn Runge
Executive Producer: Gero Bauknecht, Nina Bisgaard, Florian Dargel, Tomas Eskilsson, Steve Golin, Hugo Grumbar, Tim Haslam, Gerd Schepers
Screenwriter: Jane Anderson
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Meta Film, Anonymous Content
Rating: R (Some Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 17, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 25, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.6M
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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