the story might hew closely to Semple's source material, but that work was epistolary and the misguided desire to translate that into a feature film has resulted in a strange and frustratingly uneven production
readers will at least understand why this story exists in the first place. But even in the more successful first half of the movie, there are signs that Linklater has failed to crack the work as a whole
in comedies, this is not unusual, but "Bernadette" isn't exactly a comedy, more like a drama that wants to be whimsical. But it's too heavy to take flight. Maybe this is one of those stories that can't completely make sense as a movie
grade-A performances, but the movie is more irksome than endearing; If Bernadette weren't played by the radiant, razor-sharp Cate Blanchett, we'd never put up with her, or this movie
Bernadette is perfect fodder for the talents of Cate Blanchett, who radiates both otherworldliness and edgy neurosis in Richard Linklater's generously humane film adaptation
as erratic as its protagonist; this is very much one woman's unique, peculiar and unfortunate story; Richard Linklater's 19th feature becomes compelling in its final act, but before that too often appears tonally addled and dramatically dawdling
"Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" is a late, dull entry in a louder-than-usual summer movie season that truly needed something special, warm, and human-scale; a limping comedy about a woman with all-too-easily-explained mental issues
by Barry Hertz [Globe and Mail ]
by Mick LaSalle [San Fransisco Chronicle ]
by Ann Hornaday [Washington Post ]
