Aged, embittered widower, Fred learns to enjoy life thanks to his elderly yet vibrant neighbor, Elsa. Upon learning Elsa is terminally ill, Fred takes her to the Fontana di Trevi in Rome in order to reenact her favorite scene from ‘La Dolce Vita’.
Unlike so many American remakes of foreign films, this reboot improves on the original, mostly because it takes full advantage of the star power of its English-speaking cast.
– John Hartl,
Seattle Times,
18 Dec 2014
rotten:
A not-terrific, not-terrible romantic comedy that owes most of its charm to its two stars.
– Stephen Whitty,
Newark Star-Ledger,
7 Nov 2014
rotten:
A bland and formulaic tale of two senior citizens who discover that it's never too late to fall in love - which may well be true, but doesn't keep this rickety recycling of a 2005 Spanish-Argentinean comedy from feeling long past its sell-by date.
– Justin Chang,
Variety,
6 Nov 2014
fresh:
The movie's too-cute concept yields more rewards than you might reasonably expect.
– Stephen Holden,
New York Times,
6 Nov 2014
fresh:
Though the issues are heavy, the execution is light, enjoyable, but it keeps "Elsa & Fred" closer to "Sleepless in Seattle" than Fellini's deliciously deep Roman affair.