Dance First

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2:26

Dance First

2024

1h 40m

Biography

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

44%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Literary genius Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his way, he was a man acutely aware of his own failings. Titled after Beckett's famous ethos "Dance first, think later," the film is a sweeping account of the life of this 20th-century icon.

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Kyle Smith

Wall Street Journal

Aug 16, 2024

Parts of the film are so good that it’s a shame it strikes so many false notes.

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Glenn Kenny

RogerEbert.com

Aug 12, 2024

2/4

It frequently seems that what the movie ultimately wants from Samuel Beckett is for him not to have been…well, Samuel Beckett.

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Ben Kenigsberg

New York Times

Aug 12, 2024

“Dance First,” a Beckett biopic from James Marsh (“The Theory of Everything”), offers simple explanations for the career of a writer whose output famously resists explaining.

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Jaylan Salah

Geek Vibes Nation

Aug 23, 2026

7.6/10

Dance First is a tragicomedy, an absurdist meditation on the artist’s search for meaning and failure to find any.

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Devon Webb

Spectrum Culture

Sep 16, 2024

Dance First lets down its subject with a disrespectfully shallow approach to the life and work of playwright Samuel Beckett, which leaves us waiting, waiting, waiting, on a narrative that never seems to arrive.

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Clotilde Chinnici

Loud and Clear Reviews

Sep 14, 2024

3.5/5

While there is a lot to be appreciated in terms of its artistic endeavours, Marsh’ film is not entirely successful the very thing we would have expected from a biopic

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Robert A

@RT56636066 May 25, 2026

A lugubrious flic that never really gets to the heart of Beckett's character. Talking us through a life does not a movie make. Trying to tell ua that an overbearing mom made him the 20th C greatest existential writer or that his muse wasn't only his wife lacks any real.drama. it's like watching a play trying to be a movie. I expected a lot more insight than listening to Gabriel. Bryne whine about his meaningless life.to an alter ego whose role was to remind him that maybe it wasn't after all.

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David M

@RT05212202 Jan 1, 2025

This is under appreciated film is in fact rather satisfying psychologically, in particular the relationship between Joyce and Beckett. I would encourage you to watch it. Byrne is terrific as usual.

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P.J. L

@RT28363361 Aug 26, 2024

A stunning film carried by outstanding performances. I was aware of a lot of Beckett's history so I was curious to see how the film would flesh most of it out and I was not disappointed. Byrne gives a stellar performance that I hope is not forgotten when award season rolls around.

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Fyre S

@RT39676214 Aug 22, 2024

It´s like it was written by someone who only read Beckett´s life story without reading any on his work, just heard that Waiting for Godot is weird. very boring film. No depth, no research or any effort to make it closer to Beckett´s style. The actors are very good definitely but one can see that this is a very superficial film not made for those who love the author. disappointing.

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James Marsh

Director

Gabriel Byrne

Samuel Beckett

Aidan Gillen

James Joyce

Fionn O'Shea

Younger Samuel Beckett

Sandrine Bonnaire

Suzanne

Maxine Peake

Barbara Bray

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Dance First: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Literary genius Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his way, he was a man acutely aware of his own failings. Titled after Beckett's famous ethos "Dance first, think later," the film is a sweeping account of the life of this 20th-century icon.

Director: James Marsh
Producer: Michael Livingstone, Tom Thostrup, Viktória Petrányi
Screenwriter: Neil Forsyth
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Film Constellation, Umedia, Proton Cinema, Sky Arts, 2LE Media
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 16, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $24.7K
Runtime: 1h 40m

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