--- title: "The Unbearable Lightness of Being: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-unbearable-lightness-of-being/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-unbearable-lightness-of-being" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 8 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 Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 8 reviews: 5 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find Kaufman’s adaptation comes off far better than a novel this hard to film has any right to. The praise clusters on the cast: Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin are singled out more than once, and several reviews admire how the film moves between erotic comedy and political tragedy without lurching. The actors’ body language and the editing of the final moments are also picked out as things the film does that the page could not. The reservations are about the book. Several critics feel the film cannot carry the novel’s language or its irony, and that what remains is heavier than the source. Daniel Day-Lewis divides opinion: Variety finds his self-conscious appeal occasionally overdone, while Empire thinks him the best of the casting. Radio Times calls it overlong and eventually short of things to say. The spread is wide, with the Los Angeles Times the one outright dissenter, arguing the adaptation thins the ideas and leaves the characters shallow, though even that review admires Binoche and the photography. ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2006. Phipps praises the film as a thoughtful, moving adaptation whose final moments achieve a remarkable effect through editing. He also singles out the performances’ expressive body language and the film’s handling of intimacy and historical upheaval. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-unbearable-lightness-of-being-1798201458) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 82/100 (inferred from the text). 1 February 1988. Kael finds the film a playful, emotionally resonant adaptation, though its ending is weakened by the novel’s pull toward conventionality. She praises the actors’ lively performances and the film’s deft blend of erotic comedy and political tragedy. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1988/02/08/take-off-your-clothes) ## Time Out Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 March 2012. The review finds Kaufman’s adaptation remarkably successful despite the novel’s challenges. It singles out his ability to translate the book’s essayistic pondering to the screen. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/the-unbearable-lightness-of-being) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1987. The critic calls the adaptation richly satisfying and praises its buoyant, spirited treatment of sexuality. They single out Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin as enchanting, while finding Daniel Day-Lewis occasionally overdoes his self-conscious appeal. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/the-unbearable-lightness-of-being-1200427398/) ## Empire — Colin Kennedy Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 2006. Kennedy finds the adaptation strong overall despite its inability to capture the novel’s language and its less successful blend of political themes. He praises the casting, especially Daniel Day-Lewis, and compares the film favorably with Kubrick’s Lolita. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/unbearable-lightness-review/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. Its praise or complaints cannot be determined from the blocked content. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-unbearable-lightness-of-being-1988) ## Radio Times — Tom Hutchinson Rating 3/5. The review finds the film overlong and eventually short of important things to say. It praises the atmosphere of a besieged culture, but says that cannot make up for the film’s length. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ki7k1l/the-unbearable-lightness-of-being/) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheila Benson Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 5 February 1988. Benson finds the film an ambitious but ultimately over-heavy adaptation that thins the novel’s ideas and irony. She praises Juliette Binoche’s affecting performance and the evocative cinematography, while faulting the shallow characterization. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-05-ca-27311-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/the-unbearable-lightness-of-being.md