53
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Screen DailyAllan HunterScreen DailyAllan HunterBeneath the impish, inventive surface of On A Magical Night lies real emotions around loyalty, devotion and how to ensure love never dies. It is a film as charming as it is touching.
- 67The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyDespite its welcome breezy and surreal qualities, On A Magical Night has more psychological shortcuts than insights.
- 67IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichOn a Magical Night is a fanciful tale of marriage and its malcontents; a muted sex farce that unfolds like an overwhelmingly French twist on “A Christmas Carol” for people who are sick of their spouses.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreThere’s a lot of fun mixed in with the somber assessments of a failed relationship. In the end, it’s too much to juggle or do justice to, and On a Magical Night is never quite “could this be the magic at last.”
- 60The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonThe Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonBreezy and bright, with the stylized look and feel of a stage play, Honore’s bubbly bottle of cinematic champagne runs out of fizz somewhere around its midway point. Even so, there are still enjoyably shallow pleasures to be savored here.
- 50VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanOn a Magical Night is whimsically cute, provocative in a coy way, and more than a little in love with itself.
- 50Slant MagazineDiego SemereneSlant MagazineDiego SemereneChristophe Honoré deposits all his chips on the comedic premise at the expense of character study and gravitas.
- 50The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyDespite the fantastic premise and the ostensibly comedic bits of business Honoré strews throughout (pay attention to the changing marquee of the cinema on the street where both Maria’s apartment and the hotel are), the movie’s treatment of its themes still too often lists toward a near-ponderous solemnity.
- 50RogerEbert.comTomris LafflyRogerEbert.comTomris LafflyThe film offers some simple-minded insights into the myth of the happily-ever-after, and a dash of nonchalant French charisma. But the whole thing is only as original as a dull midlife crisis, retrofitted into a whimsical screwball mold that feels miscalculated.
- 40Austin ChronicleAustin ChronicleBasically a meaner French version of schmaltzy Matthew McConaughey romcom "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" (itself one of the worst adaptations of A Christmas Carol) mixed with a French bedroom farce, On a Magical Night shackles itself, as if with Marley's chains, to a thoroughly unlikable protagonist.