--- title: "Olive Kitteridge: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/olive-kitteridge/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/olive-kitteridge" critics_score: 79 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." --- # Olive Kitteridge (2014): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics like it, and the praise clusters on Frances McDormand’s Olive, with Richard Jenkins’s Henry close behind. Several single out the marriage between them, awkward and unglamorous and lasting, as the heart of the piece, and the adaptation is credited with keeping the novel’s shape across four hours without hurrying it. Lisa Cholodenko’s direction is praised for balance and restraint, and the tone, dry and sad and funny at the same moment, is admired almost everywhere. The reservations concern pace and mood. The Guardian, the one mixed review, finds the pacing stagnant and the quantity of misery hard to take. Collider, otherwise warm, notes padding and a slow final stretch. Nobody faults the acting. The spread is fairly wide in score but narrow in substance: the doubters agree with the admirers about what is good here, and simply find it slow. ## The AV Club — Libby Hill Rating A. 30 October 2014. The critic lauds the miniseries for distilling the novel into a sparse, intimate epic that captures small-town bonds and human complexity. It singles out the nuanced, unconventional love between Olive and her husband as portrayed by McDormand and Jenkins. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/olive-kitteridge-is-an-epic-of-intimacy-1798181885) ## Vulture — Matt Zoller Seitz Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 November 2014. The critic calls the series thrilling due mainly to McDormand's perfect, sharp-tongued performance and highlights its unobtrusive ambition in storytelling structure and empathy for flawed characters. It praises the direction and cast for making the material deeply satisfying. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2014/11/tv-review-hbo-olive-kitteridge-frances-mcdormand.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2014. Festival review. The review lauds the miniseries as an emotionally satisfying, funny-sad adaptation directed with balance by Lisa Cholodenko, with McDormand delivering a memorable performance. It praises the portrayal of marriage and community, noting its class act quality and the strong ensemble. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/olive-kitteridge-venice-review-729366/) ## IndieWire — Celluloid Liberation Front Rating B+. 14 September 2014. Festival review. The critic positions the series as advancing a new form of televisual fiction focused on existential elaboration rather than plot. It praises the adaptation's handling of time, intimate character details, and strong performances led by Frances McDormand. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/article/review-olive-kitteridge-continues-the-existential-exploration-of-true-detective-20140914) ## The Telegraph — Michael Hogan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2014. The classy adaptation is soulful, witty and wise, finding poetry in prosaic places through strong performances from Frances McDormand and Richard Jenkins and a darkly matter-of-fact tone. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews/11290947/Olive-Kitteridge-HBO-Sky-Atlantic-Review.html) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2014. Festival review. The critic praises Frances McDormand's complex portrayal and the miniseries' finely crafted adaptation that captures the essence of the book over four hours, highlighting its existential concerns and character depth. They single out the strong performances, particularly McDormand and Richard Jenkins, and the direction by Lisa Cholodenko. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/venice-film-review-olive-kitteridge-1201295397/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 3 November 2014. The series is painstakingly characterised and carefully acted, with strong performances especially from Frances McDormand, but the pacing feels stagnant and the high misery quotient can become excessive. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/nov/03/olive-kitteridge-review-characters-shine-pace-slack-70s-maine) ## Collider — Allison Keene Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 November 2014. The critic finds the miniseries a fascinating if not particularly upbeat watch, praising the quick dialogue, high-level acting, and Lynchian moments while noting structural padding and a slow pace in later episodes. McDormand's nuanced portrayal of the acerbic Olive is singled out as entrancing and universal in its flaws. [Read the review](https://collider.com/olive-kitteridge-review-hbo/) --- © 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/tv/olive-kitteridge.md