46
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickWhile this slow-starting update of "Private Lives" has plenty of laughs, the incredibly expressive (and too-seldom seen) Stevenson turns Julia's romantic dilemma into something genuinely moving. She makes A Previous Engagement something special.
- 70VarietyVarietyStevenson casts her usual magic in this frankly adult, determinedly lighthearted comedy of romantic errors.
- 50L.A. WeeklyL.A. WeeklyStevenson manages to deliver a few poignant moments of nostalgia for the pleasures of youth against the stunning backdrop of the Maltese coastline.
- 50SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirI'm not big on those Pauline Kael-style encomiums to great actors in mediocre material, but that's exactly what we've got here. Stevenson is so incandescent -- so funny, so vulnerable, so awkwardly sexy.
- 50TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghEven Stevenson, a singularly accomplished and versatile actress, can't do much with Julia's early scenes, in which she's forced to dither around like a complete idiot.
- 40The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMore tired than the fantasy it promotes, A Previous Engagement aims at middle-aged women with the subtlety of a pitch for bladder-control medication.
- A dreary experience.
- 38The Globe and Mail (Toronto)The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Though frantic from the get-go, A Previous Engagement rarely finds its feet. Devoid of the fine balance of grace and chaos necessary to any screen farce, the proceedings are slapdash, repetitious and badly overextended.