Click here to copy URL

Chevalier

Chevalier

2022

Stephen Williams

Kelvin Harrison Jr., Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton, Minnie Driver ...

5.8

459

Drama Inspired by the incredible true story of composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. The illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) rises to improbable heights in French society as a celebrated violinist-composer and fencer, complete with an ill-fated love affair and a falling out with Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) and her court.

	Author	Review
United States	Lovia Gyarkye The Hollywood Reporter	"Shaped by Williams’ sleek direction and Stefani Robinson’s eclectic screenplay, the composer’s life adopts an energetic and apocryphal sheen"	POS
United States	Kate Erbland IndieWire	"When Williams and Robinson loosen up the strings and allow the film to feel as original and free as Bologne was at the height of his creative powers (...) 'Chevalier' soars"	POS
United States	Lindsey Bahr Chicago Sun-Times	"Film is a worthwhile bio of the scholar, fencer and virtuoso violinist with effective acting, tension and sumptuous production (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Mark Jenkins The Washington Post	"On some level, 'Chevalier' understands that the reign of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette was the bad old days. Yet it just can't help but make them look really good (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"	NEU
Canada	Barry Hertz The Globe and Mail	"For myriad reasons ['Chevalier']'s energy and imagination never feel adequately reflected in this cinematic retelling"	POS
United States	Charles Bramesco The Playlist	"Though the film starts and finishes with swaggering demonstrations of politicized revolt, the rest lapses into the conventions of a genre fatally attached to them."	NEU
United States	Valerie Complex Deadline	"The production design by Karen Murphy and costumes by Oliver Garcia are mind-blowingly resplendent (...) The way Williams’ camera maneuvers around Joseph while playing the violin is exquisite (...) The acting is in top form"	POS
United States	Peter Debruge Variety	"Less a definitive portrait than a fascinating departure point for further reading and research (...) A critique of insincere allyship and a reminder for ambitious outsiders not to abandon their culture en route to the success they seek"	NEU
United States	Steve Davis Austin Chronicle	"'Chevalier' succeeds in revealing the astounding life of a man to an audience unfamiliar with him (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Martin Tsai The Wrap	"While 'Chevalier' is by no means terrible, it seems like such a huge missed opportunity for an important historical figure to have finally gotten his due"	NEU
Canada	Mae Abdulbaki Screen Rant	"From the costumes to the cinematography, music, direction and script, it shines like a bright spotlight (...) With a stunning turn by Harrison, it is the kind of dramatic biopic worth watching (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Ross McIndoe Slant	"It’s a shame that Williams hasn’t made a film that matches the revolutionary spirit of Joseph Bologne’s life, but there’s still a lot of enjoyment to be taken (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"	NEU
United States	Jared Mobarak The Film Stage	"A stirring tribute to a man of many talents, 'Chevalier' gorgeously gives a once-forgotten virtuoso violinist the cinematic treatment"	POS
United Kingdom	Mark Kermode The Guardian	"Entertainingly soapy portrait of a Black 18th-century maestro (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Whelan Barzey Time Out	"It all adds up to the hollowing sense that a chance to tell a bolder, deeper story has been missed (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
Canada	Andrew Parker The Gate	"The disappointing period piece biopic 'Chevalier' is a great example of a film that would tell one heck of a story if it wasn't in such a hurry to get through everything"	NEU
United States	John Serba Decider	"[It] is a rock-solid period drama that takes a necessary step toward reclaiming a long-suppressed piece of Black history"	POS
United States	Robert Daniels rogerebert.com	"The always dashing Harrison gives a wholly freeing performance, uplifting the lesser parts of this biopic for a visually resplendent and captivating take on a musical genius"	POS
United Kingdom	Ellen E. Jones The Guardian	"Neglected 18th-century Black virtuoso finally gets his due (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
Canada	Richard Schertzer Screen Anarchy	"[It] is a wonderful excavation into the life of a young man who was a descendant of an African slave"	POS
United States	Katie Walsh Los Angeles Times	"Telling the story of Joseph Bologne is a crucial and necessary corrective to the historical record and our understanding of this time period. But 'Chevalier' fails to express the radical spirit that it seemed to promise"	NEU
United States	Maggie Lovitt Collider	"It is the perfect marriage of fact and fiction, bringing to life a story of a figure history tried to forget"	POS
United States	Alani Vargas Chicago Reader	"This entertaining historical drama gives a mostly true account of the life of 'Black Mozart'"	POS
United States	Manuel Betancourt AV Club	"A wildly entertaining ride, a thrilling history lesson in the making that remains as timely as ever"	POS
United States	B. Panther Paste Magazine	"While it’s a fine story, 'Chevalier' would have been more interesting and relevant if it had suited up and rode more bravely into the fray of history, ready to expose why Saint-Georges’ music was kept silent for so long"	NEU
United States	Steve Davis Austin Chronicle	"[It] succeeds in revealing the astounding life of a man to an audience unfamiliar with him (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS

Return to movie

We encourage you to check the reviews' original sources. Intellectual property rights of these reviews belong to their authors and/or the correspondent media from which they have been extracted. If you'd like to help us to add more reviews to your favorite movies, just send us a message.