The Bridges of Madison County

I don't like the feeling when a romantic movie doesn't touch me as it should. The subsequent disappointment hurts the most out of all genres, especially because fateful yet sudden relationships are the biggest temptation. There are plenty of perfectly acted and dramatic moments here, but somehow they don't hold up. I remember a movie with a tearful smile in my eye, but I can't go higher because of an unnecessarily prolonged parallel storyline with annoying descendants. (09/04/2006)

I don't like melodrama, but the high percentage rating and very decent cast lured me in to such an extent that I didn't even heed warnings in comments like "it really touched my heart," which I usually consider a litmus test warning against wasting my time. However, after a few minutes, I felt that all my prejudices associated with melodrama were back in full force, so please consider the resulting rating of 2 stars as a diplomatic expression of respect for the energy exerted by those involved in a project intended for a completely different audience. I didn't finish the film because if I had to muster the will to watch the entire 135-minute runtime, I would probably hate the movie at the end. Perhaps it is a finely shot slushy romance, but that changes nothing for me. Overall impression: 45%. (03/04/2016)

Clint Eastwood made a heart-wrenching statement from a banal and an exhausted story about love, though the undeniable breath of old-fashionedness may not be everyone's cup of tea. Nevertheless, the qualities of the leading actors are undeniable. Both Meryl Streep and Eastwood deliver fantastic performances in their roles and are thoroughly believable. As a director, Eastwood tells the love story very slowly and builds the atmosphere through intimate scenes, mostly set in an apartment (masterful lighting). The dialogues are consistently brilliant, and many of them exude the life experience that the director incorporates into the film. (09/05/2006)

This film has a bit of an odd feel in Eastwood's directorial filmography. It’s a compelling story of a chance meeting between two people that would affect their entire future lives. I don’t give a damn that it might be clichéd, that there's no major twist, and that most of the runtime is taken up by Clint’s and Meryl's dialogue, because there was only one way to retell such an ordinary story in such a beautiful way – and Clint nailed it. 80% (11/07/2012)