---
title: "Sommersby: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/sommersby/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/sommersby"
critics_score: 64
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."
---

# Sommersby (1993): what the critics said

Critics' score 64 from 7 reviews: 1 positive, 6 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics land in the middle on Sommersby, warm about the romance and unconvinced by the rest. The praise clusters on Jodie Foster, whose sensitive, thoughtful performance is singled out by nearly every review, and the Los Angeles Times also credits her chemistry with Richard Gere. Variety is the one clearly positive notice, finding the film a successful, morally intricate romance and a strong American reworking of its source.

The reservations are about softness. Radio Times finds the remake weaker than the original, if still engrossing, and Empire argues that Hollywood smoothing leaves identity and betrayal insufficiently tested. The Los Angeles Times is the lowest, judging it an uneven romance that comes close to the genre’s satisfactions without delivering them. Gere divides opinion more than Foster; Radio Times finds him and Bill Pullman less impressive. The spread is narrow, and three reviews are only partly readable, so the picture is thinner than seven notices suggest.

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1992. 

The review finds the film a successful, morally intricate romance and a strong Americanization of its source. It singles out the layered performances of Jodie Foster and Richard Gere for praise.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1992/film/reviews/sommersby-1200431207/)

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No specific praise or complaint is available from the page content.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sommersby-1993)

## The New York Times — Janet Maslin

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 5 February 1993. 

The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. The headline raises suspicion about the husband’s return, but the review’s specific praise or complaint is not readable.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/05/movies/reviews-film-husband-back-from-war-too-good-to-be-true.html)

## Time Out — GA

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The available page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the page metadata.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/sommersby)

## Empire — Barry McIlheney

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The review finds Sommersby genuinely romantic and entertaining, but says Hollywood softening weakens its dramatic edge. It praises the performances of Richard Gere and Jodie Foster, while faulting the film for leaving identity and betrayal insufficiently tested.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/sommersby-review/)

## Radio Times — David Parkinson

Rating 3/5. 

Parkinson finds the remake weaker than the original, though still enjoyable and engrossing. He praises Jodie Foster’s sensitive performance, while finding Richard Gere and Bill Pullman less impressive.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-73ezom/sommersby/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 5 February 1993. 

Turan finds the film an uneven romance that comes close to delivering the genre’s satisfactions. He especially praises Jodie Foster’s thoughtful, compelling performance and her chemistry with Richard Gere.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-05-ca-805-story.html)

---
© 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/sommersby.md