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The Bookshop

Play trailer 2:14 Poster for The Bookshop PG 2018 1h 53m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
57% Tomatometer 111 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Florence Green, a free-spirited widow, puts grief behind her and risks everything to open up a bookshop -- the first such shop in the sleepy seaside town of Hardborough, England. But this mini social revolution soon brings her fierce enemies: she invites the hostility of the town's less prosperous shopkeepers and also crosses Mrs. Gamart, Harborough's vengeful, embittered alpha female who is a wannabe doyenne of the local arts scene.

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The Bookshop

The Bookshop

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Critics Consensus

A rare adaptation that sticks too closely to its source material, The Bookshop's meticulously crafted world building gets lost in its meandering pace.

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Critics Reviews

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Andrea Gronvall Chicago Reader 03/04/2020
The ever-winsome Emily Mortimer glows as a struggling widow who opens a bookstore in her insular coastal town. Go to Full Review
Moira MacDonald Seattle Times 09/05/2018
3.5/4
The Bookshop is a gentle, quiet film in which not a whole lot happens... But it's beautifully evocative of the musty, inviting smell of a bookshop on a cool day, or of the nostalgic pleasure of old photographs Go to Full Review
Scott Marks San Diego Reader 08/31/2018
1/5
Hang a CLOSED sign in the window: it's another film with a strong female character that's cushioned in the safety and comfort of the recent past. Go to Full Review
Marya E. Gates Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack) Apr 11
A film for book lovers that also both scratches that itch to chuck it all and move to the middle of nowhere, while also showing the seams of that fantasy. Go to Full Review
Diana Tuova Spotlight on Film 08/02/2024
2/5
A sentimentally foolish whimsy of a plot lost almost completely in confused pacing – a melodrama cooked out of nothing. Go to Full Review
Jennifer Merin AWFJ.org 09/30/2021
Adapted from Penelope Fitzgerald's novel, Catalan director Isabel Coixet's The Bookshop is a rather bookish film - in a very good and comforting way. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Frans B @FransB Jun 5 Great movie. So tidy, well mannered and gentle. Brilliant cast all shines in character. Very slow and quiet pace, as a bookshop should be hey? Great cinematography and very good directing and writing. Superb and very nostalgic. See more Branko O Apr 18 A wonderfully crafted film with a humane, sensory touch and presence. Impeccable acting from the lead actress throughout, who stood apart from the rest of the cast that was solid all the same. A refreshing film made the good old way. If you’re not in the mood and it’s raining outside - it’s perfect. See more Ken C Jan 1 The film stars Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and Bill Nighy. This is a British nostalgia movie circa 1960s where Bill Nighy does a stellar performance and Emily Mortimer is just so British sweet. The movie stick closely to the book and is wonderfully crafted. Does tend to meander but is worth the journey See more Francine H 08/31/2024 After years as a visitor to Rotten Tomatoes I literally created an account to boost the surprising (to me) rating with my one tiny review! This is a charming film with a wonderful actress in a beautiful setting. Watching it was so evocative, it felt like I was reading one of those particularly English books with a nice cup of tea. See more Paul B 06/19/2024 Generally I love every Bill Nighy film however this is an exception. He looks very uncomfortable with some of the dialogue and distinctly unimpressed with his "romantic" link to Emily Mortimer, who's at least twenty years his junior. I managed to watch it to the end but it was hard going. Give this one a miss. See more ludo c 11/10/2023 An absolute disaster of a movie. Intrigued by movies about the book world I was interested in watching this but it's a poor "Chocolate" type wannabe but failing at every level. The direction, screenplay and editing are at the level of a poor student film without the excuse of being someone's first project. The pacing is off and progression of the story utterly slow where it does not need to be and jumping ahead where it should not. No tension and no emotion, except when it feels false. No supporting soundtrack when there should be one and laughable when there is one. The very talented actors look like they know they are in a bad movie, visibly uncomfortable and painful to watch. A waste. See more Read all reviews
The Bookshop

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Movie Info

Synopsis Florence Green, a free-spirited widow, puts grief behind her and risks everything to open up a bookshop -- the first such shop in the sleepy seaside town of Hardborough, England. But this mini social revolution soon brings her fierce enemies: she invites the hostility of the town's less prosperous shopkeepers and also crosses Mrs. Gamart, Harborough's vengeful, embittered alpha female who is a wannabe doyenne of the local arts scene.
Director
Isabel Coixet
Producer
Jaume Banacolocha, Joan Bas, Adolfo Blanco, Chris Curling
Screenwriter
Isabel Coixet
Distributor
Greenwich Entertainment
Production Co
Samson Films, One Two Films, Zephyr Films
Rating
PG (Language|Brief Smoking|Some Thematic Elements)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 24, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 15, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.5M
Runtime
1h 53m
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