55
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberThe Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberThe film expertly captures the tensions in the Austrian capital on the eve of Hitler’s takeover, and it also manages to be a vibrant coming-of-age story and an intriguing portrayal of Sigmund Freud, expertly portrayed by Bruno Ganz.
- 70VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeIn the end, what makes The Tobacconist effective despite its limitations is the way it focuses on the experience of a “typical” Austrian — that is, a citizen without political convictions.
- 60Screen DailyNikki BaughanScreen DailyNikki BaughanFreud aside, this is a fairly straightforward boy-to-man narrative, but that it plays out during such a turbulent time in Austrian history brings additional texture.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonSan Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonNikolaus Leytner’s competent, watchable but uninspired adaptation of the best-selling novel by Robert Seethaler does have a few attractions, chiefly a heartwarming farewell performance as Freud, the famed psychoanalyst, by the great Bruno Ganz, who died last year not long after filming.
- 50The New York TimesTeo BugbeeThe New York TimesTeo BugbeeThis is a pretty movie to be sure, with attractive cinematography, period costume and production design. But the film has no political or philosophical weight, and it is ultimately a movie that is as hard to take seriously as its somewhat dunderheaded protagonist.
- 50Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreGanz has a wonderful twinkle about him that makes him perfect for Freud. If only he’d had a little something to chew on. If only the character felt like more than a Big Name afterthought.
- 50RogerEbert.comNick AllenRogerEbert.comNick AllenA movie that bases part of its drab period fiction on the fantasy of getting Freud’s friendly advice, all for the price of a good cigar. But the script, based on a revered novel from Robert Seethaler, concerns more serious themes than Freud's off-hand advice, though its shallow storytelling gives little to contemplate.
- 42IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichWhile The Tobacconist is always watchable, its inability to find meaning in a mess of uncooked symbolism prevents the movie from being worthy of Freud, and from doing justice to his parting words.