--- title: "Late Fame: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/late-fame/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/late-fame" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Late Fame (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 15 reviews: 13 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Late Fame, praising its tenderness towards artistic ambition, self-delusion and the wish to be recognised. Willem Dafoe’s restrained performance as a rediscovered poet draws the most consistent praise, while Greta Lee’s theatrical energy provides a contrast that several reviews particularly enjoy. Kent Jones’s gentle, observant direction also wins approval for finding humour in New York’s literary circles without treating the people in them with contempt. The main disagreement concerns whether that gentleness leaves the drama short of bite. Some otherwise favourable reviews note narrative stumbles, thinly drawn young artists or insufficient tension; Time Out finds the film reluctant to commit to its tragic, comic or feel-good possibilities. The spread extends from strong enthusiasm to outright disappointment: Little White Lies finds the dialogue unilluminating and the nostalgia grating, rejecting the fondness that most critics regard as a strength. ## The New Yorker — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2026. The critic finds the drama exquisitely wry and melancholic, with Jones turning characters’ foibles and pretensions into acts of tenderness. He singles out Dafoe’s finest performance in years for its trek from bliss to disillusionment and odd contentment. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-current-cinema/tony-late-fame-and-the-rocky-road-to-literary-stardom) ## The AV Club — Tim Grierson Rating B+. 4 August 2026. The critic finds it a tender, bittersweet drama led by Dafoe's tender performance, praising its exploration of self-delusion, generational divides, and the desire for recognition, though noting some narrative stumbles. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/late-fame-review) ## Empire — Emily Maskell Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2026. The critic praises the film as a low-key but moving intergenerational portrait of ambitious writers in contemporary New York. Dafoe’s grounded performance is highlighted as a compelling treat that clashes effectively with Greta Lee’s theatricality. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/late-fame/) ## Radio Times — Tom Dawson Rating 4/5. 1 September 2026. This observant character study, transposed to contemporary New York, treats its characters with compassion and features impressive performances, especially from Willem Dafoe as the rediscovered poet. It notes the amusing pretensions of the young aesthetes without dismissing their nostalgia. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/late-fame-willem-dafoe-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2026. The critic praises this elegant, smart and literate adaptation as a tonic with marvellous tenderness and generosity, highlighting Willem Dafoe’s intelligent and self-possessed performance as the ageing poet. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/02/late-fame-review-willem-dafoe) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 30 August 2025. Festival review. The critic finds the film lyrical and enchanting, praising Jones’s naturalistic style driven by curiosity that reveals the humanity of everyone onscreen. He singles out Dafoe’s performance as a slowly unfolding wildflower that conveys buried yearning and resilience. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/late-fame-review-willem-dafoe-1236502775/) ## Los Angeles Times — Gary Goldstein Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 14 August 2026. The critic calls the film often first-rate for its wisdom and depth on aging, dashed dreams, and the magic of rediscovery, plus a deliciously ironic final twist. He singles out the superb cast managed with aplomb and the cinematographer’s evocative capture of lower Manhattan. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-08-14/late-fame-review-forgotten-poet-gets-taste-of-recognition) ## The Observer — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2026. The review calls the film a supremely elegant adaptation and character study that captures the faded soul of New York’s art scene, praising the nuanced performances especially from Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee. [Read the review](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/in-late-fame-new-yorks-art-scene-is-a-faded-glory) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2026. The critic finds the film funny and genial with a cool astringency, boosted by strong performances from Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee, noting its wry take on fleeting moments and talent. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/03b105ef-d8d2-4198-917c-d046cc8d7059) ## Time Out — Anna Smith Rating 3/5. 15 August 2026. The film toys with tragic, comic and feel-good modes but declines to commit fully, delivering an unsentimental story anchored by Willem Dafoe’s lived-in performance. It drifts toward a graceful conclusion while studying its pretentious characters largely without judgment. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/late-fame-review-2026) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2025. Festival review. Kent Jones’ comedy about a rediscovered poet talks a lot but doesn’t say anything new or compelling. It criticizes the script’s lack of bite compared to May December and finds the nostalgic downtown New York gaze grating and underdeveloped, especially in its treatment of characters. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/venice-film-festival/late-fame-first-look-review) ## Film Comment — Molly Haskell 20 October 2025. Festival review. The critic highlights Willem Dafoe's thoughtful, heartfelt performance at the center of this melancholy adaptation of an Arthur Schnitzler novella. It praises the film's sharp observations on bohemian poseurs and its cathartic ending. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/the-aging-artist-jay-kelly-noah-baumbach-is-this-thing-on-bradley-cooper-late-fame-kent-jones-review/) ## IndieWire — Vikram Murthi 30 August 2025. Festival review. The critic describes it as a perceptive urban drama, noting how the update of the novella allows for an insightful look at a former poet falling in with a young crowd and the dynamics that ensue. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/late-fame-review-1235148273/) ## Screen Daily 30 August 2025. Festival review. Kent Jones’s second feature is a perceptive, lightfooted drama examining the thin line between creative aspiration and pretentious poseurdom, with strong turns from Willem Dafoe and especially Greta Lee, who steals scenes as the eccentric actress Gloria. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/late-fame-review-greta-lee-and-willem-dafoe-shine-in-pleasing-new-york-story/5208268.article) ## Sight and Sound 27 August 2026. Kent Jones’s playful drama pokes gentle fun at New York literary circles old and new in a poetic meditation on the transience of fame. It highlights Dafoe’s perfect performance and the film’s compassionate, generous view of its anachronistic characters. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/late-fame-kent-joness-playful-drama-pokes-gentle-fun-new-york-literary-circles-old-new) ## Slant Magazine — Marshall Shaffer 7 September 2025. Festival review. The critic finds the film amiable but notes it pulls its punches, praising Dafoe's graceful performance and the sincere direction while criticizing the limited perspective on characters and lack of stronger dramatic tension. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/late-fame-review-willem-dafoe-greta-lee/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Sheri Linden 30 August 2025. Festival review. The critic calls the film understated and sharp, praising Dafoe's conflicted yet perfect performance as the rediscovered poet and the screenplay's exploration of notoriety and identity through graceful notes and character interactions. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/late-fame-review-willem-dafoe-greta-lee-1236350399/) ## The New York Times — Alissa Wilkinson Rating Critic’s Pick. 6 August 2026. The critic praises the film's wise and fond understanding of why some people want to become artists without making much art and why others quit. She singles out Jones’s light, confident, naturalistic direction and grasp of the Greenwich Village milieu. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/movies/late-fame-review.html) ## Vulture 7 August 2026. The critic lauds Dafoe and Lee's performances and the enchanting premise but notes the film stumbles with cartoonish treatment of the young artists and feels less assured overall. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-willem-dafoe-and-greta-lee-are-so-good-in-late-fame.html) ## The Playlist — Rodrigo Perez Rating A-. 13 August 2026. The film is a wry, clever, and thoughtful low-key portrait of modest fame and artistic validation. It singles out Willem Dafoe's delicate performance and the sly screenplay's handling of ego, class, and pretension in contemporary New York. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/late-fame-review-willem-dafoe-greta-lee-kent-jones-20260813/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2026. The critic calls it a gem about discovery and rediscovery, praising the superb performances of Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee along with the witty, biting screenplay that treats its characters with humanity and grace rather than satire. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2026/08/late-fame-review-willem-dafoe-and-greta-lee-superb-in-wonderful-indie-film-about-art-and-rediscovery-in-a-new-york-long-gone-1237016538/) ## Eye for Film — Anne-Katrin Titze Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 30 September 2025. Festival review. Burch and Jones update the story to the present without falling into cliché, giving Dafoe and especially Greta Lee opportunities to show new sides of their acting. Greta Lee's performance of the Brecht/Weill song forms the disquieting core of this precise, layered film. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/late-fame-2025-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2025. Festival review. The review portrays it as a loving low-key farce that skewers and sympathizes with its characters in equal measure, highlighting Willem Dafoe's nuanced performance and the director's layered, non-cynical approach to themes of artistic legacy and class. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/late-fame-review-willem-dafoe/) ## NME — Jordan Bassett 3 September 2026. The critic describes the film as poignant but slightly unsatisfying, an elegy for old New York that fails to fully land its themes. Willem Dafoe's spellbinding performance as the rediscovered poet is singled out for strong praise. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/late-fame-review-willem-dafoe-greta-lee-3966604) ## Paste — Jesse Hassenger Rating 5.8. 27 September 2025. Festival review. The film is a predictable, mild satire of New York artistic circles that lacks sharp danger or deep character development, feeling like a lesser late-period Woody Allen dramedy. Dafoe's lead performance is convincingly modest and central, but even he cannot fully overcome the broad arcs and uneven supporting elements. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/kent-jones/late-fame-nyff-review-willem-dafoe-kent-jones-greta-lee) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/late-fame.md