62
Metascore
23 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Washington PostAnn HornadayWashington PostAnn HornadayA small, self-contained gem of incisive writing, superb acting and rich, expressive visuals.
- 80Film ThreatFilm ThreatThe Dying Gaul is Craig Lucas's film directing debut, and it's impressive. The film never feels one bit like a stage adaptation.
- 80The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasLucas' beautiful script and a trio of first-rate performances carry the material with an intermittently breathtaking urgency.
- 75Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Dying Gaul stays interesting even when it asks more and more--too much, probably--of the audience's disbelief suspension.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversThe actors could not be better. Sarsgaard, Scott and the luminous Clarkson negotiate the film's razor-sharp laughs and bone-deep tragedy with resonant skill. Lucas' powerfully haunting film gets under your skin.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttBefore it disappears into a fog of confusion and damaging contradictions within its characters, The Dying Gaul presents an ironic, provocative look at what its creator, Craig Lucas, calls a postmodern Hollywood noir.
- 70L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasIf you cut through Lucas' thickets of self-reflexivity, metaphysical mumbo jumbo and banal potshots at media violence, there are three ace performances here by actors who can elevate and enliven even as mediocre a piece of material as this.
- 60VarietyRobert KoehlerVarietyRobert KoehlerDespite a reliable cast led by Scott, Patricia Clarkson and Peter Sarsgaard, the human impact is ultimately lost in a too calculated scenario.
- 60Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanEntertaining if cornball, lacking the cold-eyed nastiness of something like Mike Nichols's "Closer," The Dying Gaul is tricked out with strident montage sequences and tremulous Steve Reich music. It's already drowning in an icky sea of language when Lucas makes a stretch for Greek tragedy and sends the whole Malibu playhouse abruptly crashing down.
- 38New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsThese are three characters in search of a moral pulse.