Out of Africa (1985)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:19
Rotten:12
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: Though lensed with stunning cinematography and featuring a pair of winning performances from Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, Out of Africa suffers from excessive length and glacial pacing.
Synopsis: Adapted from Isak Dinesen's novel, OUT OF AFRICA, this film plaintively tells the story of two troubled adults who meet and fall in love in the African wilderness. Karen Blixen-Flecke (Meryl... [More]
Starring: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Klaus Maria Brandauer
Director: Sydney Pollack
Reviews for Out of Africa
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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Out of Africa is, at last, the free-spirited, fullhearted gesture that everyone has been waiting for the movies to make all decade long. It reclaims the emotional territory that is rightfully theirs. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
Lush, intelligent epic. Full Review |
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 C+ |
Dull biopic of the strong-willed Danish writer Isak Dinesen. Full Review |
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3/5 |
The film is so preened and self-satisfied. Full Review |
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The film runs for 161 minutes and does not have a strongly defined narrative. Full Review |
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As the Academy found before awarding it seven Oscars, it is easy to be seduced by the lush cinematography and Barry's score. More difficult to tolerate is the slushy love story between Streep and Redford. Full Review |
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2.5/4 |
The movie is not drama and far from a compelling romance. Needless to say, the prestige and technical polish on display here were enough to win this flick a passel of Oscars. Full Review |
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Maybe the problem of the pacing is simply the nature of the beast these days with expensive period pieces. Once the difficult details are all in place, it may be too much to expect a director to resist milking every scene for more than it's worth. Full Review |
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4/5 |
No review available.
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Sydney Pollack applies craftsmanship and restraint to a classic plot curve of longing, fulfillment, and loss, and although the denouement is a bit overextended, he never yields to facile, insistent sentimentality -- his effects are honestly won. Full Review |
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3/4 |
Despite a long-winded approach to moviemaking, Out of Africa is a sumptuous romantic epic with a wonderful lead performance from Meryl Streep. Full Review |
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B- |
Bloated and tedious, Pollack's attempt at epic cinema is hampered by failure to provide any clues about the meaning of Africa for Dinesen as writer and woman, and Watkin's cinematography is impressively exotic in the manner of National Geographic. Full Review |
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For all that it may come out of Africa, the film's final destination is not many miles from Disneyland. Full Review |
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1/5 |
No review available.
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3/5 |
No review available.
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4/5 |
Meryl Streep trots out a classic performance in this 1985 Oscar-winner about Isak Dineson/Karen Blixen, a writer who lived in Africa for a short time and experienced all manner of adventure and heartache, dutifully recorded in this Sydney Pollack epic. Full Review |
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3/5 |
beautiful but overrated
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5/5 |
A lyrical and meditative movie about a strong-willed woman and the place she loves. Full Review |
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A sumptuous romantic drama, Out of Africa spans continents and partners in while relating the tale of how Karen Blixen grew to become the world-famous author. Full Review |
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2/5 |
With the exception of Miss Streep's performance, the pleasures of Out of Africa are all peripheral -- David Watkin's photography, the landscapes, the shots of animal life -all of which would fit neatly into a National Geographic layout. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for Out of Africa
May 26, 2008:
Sydney Pollack dies aged 73
Academy Award-winning director, producer and actor, Sydney Pollack, dies aged 73. More...
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