97% Before Midnight

All Critics (120) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (116) | Rotten (3)

Love is messy here, life cannot be controlled, satisfaction is far from guaranteed. Romance is rocky at best. But romance still is.

Though "Before Midnight" is often uncomfortable to watch, it's never less than mesmerizing - and ultimately, a joy to walk with this prickly but fascinating couple again.

"Before Midnight" is heartbreaking, but not because of Jesse and Celine. It's the filmmakers' passions that seem to have cooled.

Before Midnight is fascinating to watch, and so long as Celine and Jesse are communicating, there's still hope.

How (Jesse and Celine) try to rekindle that flame is what drives Midnight, a film that feels so authentic it's like overhearing a conversation you're not sure you should be hearing.

Having created and aged into their characters, both Delpy and Hawke are superb at doing what professional actors find so difficult - not seeming to act.

Director Richard Linklater's life-affirming Before trilogy is the Lord of the Rings of the art-house experience, the Toy Story of the American indie movement.

Whatever wins Best Picture for 2013 ... long after that film's glory fades, actors, writers, cinephiles, and lovers will still lavish Before Midnight with praise.

It's a brutal parade of heartbreak and mind-rake that leaves you curled up and wound up in a ball, covering your eyes but peeking through parted fingers.

"Before Midnight" presents a paradox: It's the best entry in director Richard Linklater's romantic trilogy, but it's also the first in the series that doesn't leave me dying to know what happens next.

Awesome, authentic examination of a constantly evolving romantic relationship, it's a definite 'must see' for adult audiences.

Before Midnight is a beautiful reminder that a movie with nothing more than two people talking can have just as many explosions and fireworks as any high-tech summer blockbuster.

Before Midnight understands that when love falters it isn't with a bang but a long protracted sigh. It's a perceptive and humbling view of romance that debunks all notions of fairy tale endings.

...We are not likely to get a more thoughtful or thought-provoking film than Before Midnight.

"Before Midnight" puts us in the same position with Jesse and Celine that they are in with each other. The romantic idealism has evaporated, and now we see them for who they are - real, deeply flawed, sometimes selfish people. Can we still love them?

Hawke and Delpy inhabit these characters with such ease and credibility that it takes no effort to become emotionally invested in their story.

The movie is a great romantic story because it bravely displays the downside of love in which two people can expose each other in the most personal fashion yet still remain committed.

I think the trilogy has come to its natural conclusion: However you interpret the ending, we've spent enough time with these two people.

The dialogue is never dull or one-sided; these are intelligent, articulate people, given to debate and philosophizing.

The series has gotten gradually better as it's gone along, with the stars developing a genuine rapport that helps to eliminate any hint of self-indulgence.

The performances and dialogue are so good that it's quite possible to overlook what an elegant and fluid film Linklater has made

Hawke, Delpy and director Richard Linklater strike sparks like never before and, in the process, question everything Jesse and Celine have gone through - even the notions of fate and true love that brought them together.

If you've grown old with these characters, "Before Midnight" is an exhilarating and breathtakingly nervy experience.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/before_midnight_2013/

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