--- title: "Out of Africa: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/out-of-africa/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/out-of-africa" critics_score: 56 critics_reviews: 7 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." --- # Out of Africa (1985): what the critics said Critics' score 56 from 7 reviews: 3 positive, 1 mixed, 3 negative. The reviews split almost evenly, and the one thing nearly everyone agrees on is the scenery. Critics on both sides call the Kenyan location photography ravishing, and most also single out Meryl Streep, whose intelligent, intense Karen Blixen is credited with making the story believable even by those who find the film around her thin. The warmest notices treat it as a large-scale romance done properly, well written and directed, with Streep and Robert Redford convincing in the difficult emotional scenes. The reservations cluster on the affair at the centre. Several critics find it wispy or nebulous, a love story without enough electricity to carry two and a half hours, and Redford’s casting is named as a weakness more than once. The spread is wide, from outright admiration to dismissal as a preened, self-satisfied soap opera. Notably, the harshest verdicts come from later reappraisals: Empire and Time Out are far colder than most of the original 1985 reviews. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 1985. Ebert praises the film as one of the great recent epic romances, highlighting its intelligent writing, direction, and acting that draws viewers into the characters' passions. He singles out the breathtaking location filming and the strong chemistry between Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in complex emotional scenes. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/out-of-africa-1985) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 December 1985. The critic finds it a big, physically elaborate but wispy movie whose elusive heart is the affair between Streep's Karen and Redford's Denys. Streep's intelligent, intense performance as the complex Baroness Blixen is singled out for praise as the element that makes the story believable. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/18/movies/screen-out-of-africa-starring-meryl-streep.html) ## Variety — James Harwood Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 December 1985. The critic calls it a sensitive, enveloping romantic tragedy that picks up pace after a leisurely start, though its length and downbeat ending may limit broad appeal. Streep's engaging performance and the romance (especially when Redford is present) are singled out, along with Pollack's able production and direction. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1985/film/reviews/out-of-africa-2-1200426692/) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheila Benson Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 18 December 1985. The critic sees it as a civilized, intelligent film with irreproachable landscapes and a faintly doomed love story about possession rather than love, but finds it lacks enough electricity to sustain a 2½-hour romance. The lush production design, costumes, and photography are praised, while Redford's casting and the stately views of Africa are noted as drawbacks. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-12-18-ca-26572-story.html) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2011. The critic finds Pollack’s epic sturdy but turgid and more soap-opera than sweeping historical drama. Glorious vistas and Streep’s accent are noted, yet the film is ultimately deemed preened, self-satisfied and spiritually absent. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/africa-review/) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 1985. Kael finds the film unsatisfying and nebulous, criticizing Pollack for waffling on dramatic clarifications and failing to give the main characters independent existence. She singles out the occasional stunning moments and strong supporting performances but notes the leads seem absorbed in themselves rather than each other. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1985/12/30/sacred-monsters) ## Time Out — CPea Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic finds the Kenyan landscapes ravishing under Pollack's direction but criticizes the film for resembling a Disney-like safari park movie, with uneven performances from Streep, Brandauer, and Redford. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/out-of-africa) --- © 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/out-of-africa.md