97% The Artist

All Critics (130) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (126) | Rotten (4)

The Artist is the most surprising and delightful film of 2011.

A silent movie shot in sumptuous black-and-white, no less. A silent flick made with not a jot of distancing winking, but instead born of a heady affection for a bygone, very bygone, era of filmmaking.

It's a rocket to the moon fueled by unadulterated joy and pure imagination.

Strangely, wonderfully, The Artist feels as bold and innovative a moviegoing experience as James Cameron's bells-and-whistles Avatar did a couple of years ago.

"The Artist'' is a small, exquisitely-cut jewel in a style everyone assumes is 80 years out of date.

A beguiling tale about Hollywood's silent movie days that is itself silent, this made-in-L.A. French feature will charm cinephiles with its affection for one of the movies' golden ages.

It's easy to dismiss The Artist as a simple love letter to the silent-film era, but there is a lot more at work here than just an attention-getting gimmick.

This film says a lot, without saying nearly any words. It's one of the best of 2011. (Content Review for Parents also available)

Not only does 'The Artist' clearly demonstrate that something was lost when movies started talking, but it also proves that we haven't begun to learn what can be done with images alone.

It may be silent, but The Artist earns some very loud applause

The Artist is a slight confection, really, but it's so delicious and knowing that it may well end up on any number of cineastes' desert-island lists. It's certainly on mine.

"The Artist" may be too cute to qualify as high art, but it's highly entertaining.

The story and the silent-era conventions may not be entirely original, but the director revives this uniquely American storytelling style with such infectious joy and life-affirming enthusiasm that it's nearly impossible not to respond in equal measure.

Essentially a stunt, but an expertly executed one that's immensely enjoyable, especially for movie buffs...a nimble, exuberant lark.

'The Artist' paints a glorious picture of old Hollyood.

In the more eye-pleasing The Artist, the plot eventually comes too close to its inspiration, though its early moments were headed for mastery - and transformation - of style.

Hazanavicius crafted more than a replica of the silent era... a masterwork that likely won't be imitated. How many movies in 2011 can you say that about? Only the best one.

"The Artist" is a delightful treasure. It is a charming mixture of comedy, melodrama and romance that cinema lovers should make a point of experiencing.

This is not some clinical dissection of bygone cinematic techniques; it's a lively, appealing effort that mostly rises above mere novelty.

It's about more than the gimmick, and The Artist will be calling to you, entrancing you and making you feel the love.

This is the feel-good movie of the year and that's meant as praise, not a putdown.

No less than a gushing ode to cinema itself. Unconditional bliss.

If the concept of a contemporary, postmodern silent film sounds like a gimmick, it is, but Hazanavicius' attention to character makes certain that the film acts as more.

It's not especially deep or profound -- just (very) good old-fashioned fun.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_artist/

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