60
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyMr Demme has a special talent for locating the humor and pathos within the commonplace experiences of American life.
- 80Time OutTime OutHawn, atypically cast and supported by all-round excellent performances, proves that she can act. But still this bitter-sweet concoction is very much Demme's: not only in the warming celebration of friendship and community values (the unsentimental generosity extended towards the characters positively glows), but also in the assured handling of period, place, music and mood.
- 80EmpireWilliam ThomasEmpireWilliam ThomasThis film is more known for being the one which introduced Goldie Hawn to Kurt Russell than anything else, which is somewhat unfair as at its heart lies a sweet romance, with good performances from both the leads and an Oscar nomination for supporting actress Lahti.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThis is a slice-of-life movie, the kind that director Jonathan (Melvin and Howard) Demme is good at.
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineJonathan Demme's characteristic generosity toward his characters and refusal to make absolute moral judgments are strong points, while the feminist subtext adds freshness to the story.
- 63Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittThere's not much freshness to the plot, about a young woman who has a love affair when her husband sails off to fight World War II. But director Jonathan Demme shows the same keen interest in Americana that sparked his fine Melvin and Howard, and while some story details are murky or unconvincing, his probing lens captures delicate nuances of atmosphere and performance. [03 May 1984, p.29]
- 50New York Magazine (Vulture)New York Magazine (Vulture)It offers a Life-magazine view of the home front, with adultery added--but the adultery is so unimpassioned that it might have come from Life, too. [30 Apr 1984, p.87]
- 50Washington PostGary ArnoldWashington PostGary ArnoldIts elaborate and meticulously re-created period settings and moods prove far more interesting and diverting than the undernourished characterizations and love stories that flutter and sputter across the foregrounds. [19 Apr 1984, p.D6]
- 50Miami HeraldBill CosfordMiami HeraldBill CosfordIt seems very much an exercise in time, place and character, without much soul, as if Demme expected the period to provide most of the romance. [17 Apr 1984, p.B5]