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Effie Gray

Play trailer Poster for Effie Gray PG-13 2015 1h 48m Biography History Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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43% Tomatometer 84 Reviews 41% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In Victorian England, the virginal wife (Dakota Fanning) of critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise) seeks an annulment of their marriage so that she can marry his protégé, Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge).
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Effie Gray

Effie Gray

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Critics Consensus

Effie Gray benefits from its strong cast, elevating a period drama that doesn't strike quite as many narrative sparks as it could.

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Critics Reviews

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Ed Potton The Times (UK) 04/19/2021
1/5
It feels like lockdown in 19th-century fancy dress. Go to Full Review
Wesley Morris Grantland 04/09/2015
It's deadly dull, clogged with all kinds of string and piano music and sunk by a perplexingly lifeless performance by Dakota Fanning as Gray. Go to Full Review
Bilge Ebiri New York Magazine/Vulture 04/05/2015
Fanning's controlled presence is ideal for a tale of Victorian repression. But as the film becomes one of quiet liberation, it needs more than her cool reserve. Go to Full Review
Katie Hogan FILMHOUNDS Magazine 04/23/2021
2/5
Despite the excellent cast, they cannot make this fascinating story interesting to watch. Go to Full Review
Jennie Kermode Eye for Film 04/15/2021
3.5/5
This is a beautifully rendered film with oodles of character. Go to Full Review
Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens 12/08/2019
A beautifully crafted film filled with a haunting stillness and melancholy touched with moments of humor... Effie Gray speaks to the heart and pays soft homage to the woman whose life we see unfold. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Katie J @kjokjo Oct 16 The costumes had me literally on my knees See more Stephen C @bob25009 Sep 30 Based on a true story in 1 hour and 48 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Thematic and Sexual Content and Some Nudity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more liz R @RT39225600 01/27/2024 Atmospheric and brooding drama telling the true story of Effie Gray's marriage to John Ruskin. Amazing cast and thought-provoking story. See more shelly l @RT56072389 09/27/2022 This movie was VERY slow moving. The worst part about it is that after all of that long drawn out waiting, the ending leaves you completely unsatisfied. The acting was good. It was just that the script moved too slow and the storyline needed a lot of work to be interesting. See more 08/04/2022 Going by the synopsis of Effie Gray, it hyped up the movie more than what it actually ended up being...boring! See more John O @ThreeRivers 07/02/2022 Spoilers: Love both Fanning sisters, though Elle's talent and skill have outstripped those of Dakota. We could call Dakota's take in this period, 19th-century piece understated, but that might just be cover for quiet, even dull. Her pretty face doesn't tell us much throughout. And how does a female from Scotland avoid that thick brogue and sound British? It takes us a long time to get from a weird top-notch art historian and critic who waxes eloquent in prose about his angelic bride, to hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, enough to revamp the law on marriage and get a legal annulment, which should have feminists cheering. Her lawyer said he had never heard of this before, a woman still a virgin after years and years of marriage, as most men can hardly get out of the wedding to get their hands on their wives, as it should be. But this talented and family-rich Londoner Ruskin seems to have liked young girls, yes girls, but once they budded into women, not so much. We see no evidence of him smooching, etc. with girls or even men, but the odd person out surely is Effie, whom Ruskin, as this is based on a real story, not just ignores Effie, but beats her up verbally. She eventually falls for a painter friend of her husband. At a time when she couldn't just say f--k you and go get a job, we can feel her frustration, but she seems to take the ordeal not that badly, though it wears on her health, as she even loses hair over it. Luminous Emma Thompson becomes a sympathetic ally, and she even wrote this script. When Effie finally is unmarried, she marries the painter, who seems to touch her, as they have kids. The enormity of the accomplishment of leaving the security a rich house, where Ruskin's parents dote on their son all his life and where he works, away from Effie, is the story, but it seems to get short shrift in the movie. Times were tough, as Euphemia's Scottish family had a dozen or so kids and most died very young. Who calls a kid Euphemia, nicked to Phemy or Effie? See more Read all reviews
Effie Gray

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Movie Info

Synopsis In Victorian England, the virginal wife (Dakota Fanning) of critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise) seeks an annulment of their marriage so that she can marry his protégé, Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge).
Director
Richard Laxton
Producer
Andreas Roald, Donald Rosenfeld
Screenwriter
Emma Thompson
Distributor
Adopt Films
Rating
PG-13 (Thematic and Sexual Content|Some Nudity)
Genre
Biography, History, Drama, Romance
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 3, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 19, 2016
Runtime
1h 48m