Bright Star (2009)
90%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
16 wins & 54 nominations total
Bright Star, directed by the illustrious Jane Campion, is a film that manages to capture the essence of springtime bliss and the beauty of love in its purest form. While some critics may argue that the attention to detail overshadows the emotional depth of the film, I would argue that the exquisite clothing, furniture, and highly-stylized behavior only serve to enhance the already stunning visuals. The love story between John and Fanny is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, drawing the viewer in and making us root for their happiness despite the inevitable heartbreak that lies ahead. With rapturous images and a vision that makes us long for a world as vivid and true as this one, Bright Star is a film that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.
Bright Star is a movie that will make you feel like you’re floating on a cloud of springtime bliss, even if you’re watching it in the dead of winter. The attention to detail is impeccable, from the clothing to the furniture to the highly-stylized behavior. And while some critics may say it lacks emotion, I say it’s a beautiful sanctuary of word and image that will leave you longing for a world as vivid and true as this one. Plus, who doesn’t love a good love story where the lovers fall in love in front of the whole family? It’s like a rom-com, but with more poetry and less awkward humor. Overall, Bright Star is a must-watch for anyone who wants to feel the warmth of spring in their heart, no matter the season.
Production Company(ies)
El Deseo Renn Productions, France 2 Cinéma
Distributor
Apparition
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for thematic elements, some sensuality, brief language and incidental smoking
Year of Release
2009
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 59m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 16, 2009 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 26, 2010
Genre(s)
Drama/Romance
Keyword(s)
starring Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Paul Schneider, Kerry Fox, Edie Martin, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, directed by Jane Campion, written by Jane Campion, produced by Jan Chapman, Caroline Hewitt, drama, romance, PG rating, box office gross $4.4M, reviewed by Valerie Lapinski, Deborah Ross, Ed Koch, Caryn James, Nicola Evans, Christine Champ, CJ Sheu, Andrea Thompson, Felicia Feaster, PJ Nabarro, Nikki Baughan, Mattie Lucas, period drama, Jane Austen-esque, love story, poetry, John Keats, Fanny Brawne, 19th century, English literature, unrequited love, financial struggles, artistic passion, beautiful cinematography, refined direction, understated performances, attention to detail, natural world, lyrical prose, heart-breaking, tragic, romantic, aloof poet, high-spirited young woman, struggling poet, money troubles, poetic inspiration, period clothing, furniture, Apparition distribution
Worldwide gross: $14,374,652
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $19,867,361
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,714
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,166,561
US/Canada gross: $4,444,637
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $6,142,980
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,749
US/Canada opening weekend: $189,703
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $262,191
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,580
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $8,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $11,747,941
Production budget ranking: 1,607
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $6,326,266
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,793,153
ROI to date (est.): 10%
ROI ranking: 1,347
Ben Whishaw – John Keats
Paul Schneider – Mr. Brown
Kerry Fox – Mrs. Brawne
Edie Martin – Toots
Thomas Brodie-Sangster – Samuel
Director(s)
Jane Campion
Writer(s)
Jane Campion
Producer(s)
Jan Chapman, Caroline Hewitt
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
16 wins & 54 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (179) | Top Critics (68) | Fresh (148) | Rotten (31)
Manages to bottle the fleeting feeling of spring bliss.
May 20, 2022
Valerie Lapinski
Vox
TOP CRITIC
Yes, it is a thing of beauty and, yes, things of beauty are joys for ever but we can also probably say this about them: they don’t always add up to the most affecting movies.
August 30, 2018
Deborah Ross
The Spectator
TOP CRITIC
Wonderful attention is paid to detail, including clothing, furniture and highly-stylized behavior. What is missing is emotion.
January 17, 2018
Ed Koch
The Atlantic
TOP CRITIC
Director Jane Campion’s most enthralling film since The Piano.
October 11, 2017
Caryn James
Marie Claire
TOP CRITIC
[Jane Campion] shows us here the beautiful sanctuaries that word and image create together, and the reasons why life requires us … to abandon them.
September 24, 2014
Nicola Evans
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
May 6, 2011 | Rating: A
Christine Champ
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
Everything is simple and understated, allowing the big moments their space. … [Whishaw’s] line readings are disastrous. … Cornish is a revelation[.]
November 9, 2021
CJ Sheu
Review Film Review
Jane Campion’s “Bright Star” manages to accomplish quite a bit, not the least of which is a love story where the lovers not only rarely get any time alone together, but fall in love in front of the whole family.
October 8, 2020
Andrea Thompson
A Reel of One’s Own
Bright Star is filled with such an enormity of love and feeling, it nearly takes your breath away. The film’s rapturous images and Campion’s vision make you long for a world as vivid and true as this one.
January 24, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Charleston City Paper
The film succeeds in making the lustre of Keats’ words come borne out of the inspiration he finds in his love for Fanny Brawn and the transcendent beauty of the natural world.
October 31, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro
The love story between John and Fanny fuels the narrative and draws in the viewer – we root for their happiness even though we know only heartbreak lies ahead.
October 29, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Nikki Baughan
Roll Credits
There are moments of great and sublime beauty at work here.
August 5, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row…
Plot
It’s 1818 in Hampstead Village on the outskirts of London. Poet Charles Brown lives in one half of a house, the Dilkes family the other. Through association with the Dilkes, the fatherless Brawne family knows Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown and the Brawne’s eldest daughter, Fanny, don’t like each other. She thinks him arrogant and rude; he feels that she’s a pretentious flirt, knowing only how to sew (admittedly well as she makes all her own fashionable clothes), and voicing opinions on subjects about which she knows nothing. Insecure struggling poet John Keats comes to live with his friend, Mr. Brown. Miss Brawne and Mr. Keats have a mutual attraction to each other, but their relationship is slow to develop, in part, since Mr. Brown does whatever he can to keep the two apart. Other obstacles face the couple, including their eventual overwhelming passion for each other clouding their view of what the other does, Mr. Keats’ struggling career, which offers him little in the way of monetary security (which will lead to Mrs. Brawne not giving consent for them to marry), and health issues which had earlier taken the life of Mr. Keats’ brother, Tom.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing goofy or funny or odd is said about the film on Fresh Kernels.
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