--- title: "The Duchess: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-duchess/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-duchess" critics_score: 66 critics_reviews: 10 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." --- # The Duchess (2008): what the critics said Critics' score 66 from 10 reviews: 6 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics come down in favour, if without much heat. The praise gathers almost entirely around Keira Knightley, whose Georgiana is described as restrained, emotionally alert and enigmatic, holding wit and concealed unhappiness in the same face. The production is the other point of agreement: the estates, the costumes, the colour and the intimate dining scenes are noted again and again. Ralph Fiennes earns his own following, and the Los Angeles Times goes further, saying his perplexed, quietly complex duke ends up dominating the picture. Paste also singles out Hayley Atwell. The reservations are about feeling. Several reviews call the film too tame or bloodless to do justice to its heroine, with Slant arguing it stops short of her more bitter years and Empire finding the third act sags. The spread is fairly wide: The AV Club is moved by it, while The Hollywood Reporter and Eye for Film find a handsome costume drama with too little feeling in it. ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating B+. 18 September 2008. Murray finds the film’s story of Georgiana’s shift from idealism to practicality fairly moving, despite its middlebrow approach. He praises Keira Knightley’s performance and says the parallels to Lady Diana work better as a reflection on ordinary people’s thwarted dreams. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-duchess-1798204886) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3/4. 25 September 2008. Ebert gives the film a positive verdict. He highlights Keira Knightley’s performance and the film’s period setting. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-duchess-2008) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 15 March 2009. Kermode finds the film admirably unsentimental, balancing period style with contemporary relevance. He praises Keira Knightley’s restrained portrayal of Georgiana’s social isolation and reinvention. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/mar/15/dvd-reviews-mark-kermode) ## Empire — Simon Crook Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2008. The review finds the biopic classy and well-crafted, though its third act sags slightly. It praises Keira Knightley’s enigmatic performance and the film’s intimate observational details, especially its dining scenes. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/duchess-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 2008. Turan finds the film handsome and restrained, while saying Ralph Fiennes’ performance as the duke ultimately dominates it. He especially praises Fiennes’ subtle, quietly complex portrayal of a powerful man perplexed by his wife. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-sep-19-et-duchess19-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — Fernando F. Croce Rating 2.5/4. 17 September 2008. Croce finds the period drama watchable but too restrained to explore its heroine’s more compelling, bitter years. He praises Keira Knightley’s emotionally alert performance, which makes Georgiana an affecting blend of wit and concealed tragedy. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-duchess/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2008. Honeycutt finds the film an accomplished but uninspired costume drama that does not fully convey Georgiana’s modernity. He praises Keira Knightley’s performance and the production’s grand estates, while criticizing the melodrama as bloodless. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/duchess-125826/) ## Paste — Tim Basham Fi1m's normalised score 72/100 (inferred from the text). 13 October 2008. Basham finds the film a somewhat soap-operatic period piece, but says its performances make it worthwhile. He especially praises Keira Knightley’s portrayal of Georgiana and singles out Hayley Atwell’s performance as another highlight. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/keira-knightley/the-duchess) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2008. The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. Its URL suggests a complaint about the film’s corseted approach, but the article text is unavailable. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-duchess-corset-is-too-tightly-20080917/) ## Eye for Film — Maria Realf Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 30 August 2008. Realf finds the film handsome but emotionally tame, falling short of becoming a classic. She praises its lavish sets, costumes and colour, while faulting the lack of sexual tension and chemistry. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-duchess-film-review-by-maria-realf) --- © 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/the-duchess.md