"This new Brideshead takes a step in the right direction, but it's time some radical writer or filmmaker dared to leave out the dim Julia charade and let Charles and Sebastian play out their Isherwood/Auden Oxford love match to its full." - Dan Callahan

Passable adaptation but I would prefer to watch the old TV adaptation or read the book again.

Watson appears very little but it's very effective. Unrequited or old love are never easy to go through or remember, are they?

The recreation of 20th century England makes a great set for the story to unfold. For the story itself, it's fair enough, it kept me interested througout the whole of the movie. Still, in places the overall tention feels a bit strained.

kind of being julia 2 ... *yawn*

Well, it's reasonably well-made, anyhow. Unfortunately, the problem with many pictures of this sort is that you wind up being much more impressed with the lovingly detailed recreation of early 20th century England (clothes, customs, cars, architecture, etc.) than you are with the story or characters. Thus, the term "costume drama". And, to be brutally frank, this is just too damned gay besides

Grossly underated by many many people. Stunning cinemtography, great acting and I did enjoy the plot mainly because there was nothing wrong with it!! I don't understand the comments on here, alll I can say is ignore them and go along and see this wonderfull film which is a delight to see!

A great reminder why Catholicism is a dying (evil) religion...

The acting, cinematography and costume design are all excellent. However, I absolutely loathed the plot and the characters and never want to see this movie ever again. Also I seriously don't believe Emma Thompson as an elderly mother. She's not even 50 yet!

This film is visually stunning, however the plot and character development lack depth. Watching it was more like viewing a great painting than hearing a great story.

Holy crap this movie was boring. And not in a good, slow moving way.

The film starts well, setting up conflicts centered around romantic longing and driven stabs at upward mobility, bolstered by nice performances from Thompson and Whishaw. Problems arise, largely because the lead character, as played by Goode, is too much a cipher to carry the weight of the story's payoffs. Goode is painfully flat, apparently incapable of providing his character with the undercurrents necessary to add weight to the question of whether he loves a woman for herself or her status.

Pretty, and pretty boring. Here's a film for fans of Ivory and Merchant. All others would be better advised to watch the paint dry on a really well-painted wall.

Maybe one shouldn't compare a movie to its novel origin - but I do it anyway... IMO, if you wouldn't know the novel this would be a pretty ok movie. However, if you do know the novel, you'll see that they took certain liberties, some that are forgiveable and some that are not. But make up your own minds. Technically, this one is very well done.