A movie every father and son should be required to see together. Jim Broadbent’s towering performance should be remembered at awards time, and Colin Firth is perfect in this touching drama of memory and transition.
The Painted Veil is a lushly photographed, costume-drama actor's piece, soggy in the second half from melodrama. It tries to unmask misguided attraction between two lovers in 1920's China, but it unravels under its own conceits.
Hardcore fans will flock anyway. If you've haven't seen the first movie then this isn't the place to start. And if you have seen the first movie, this sequel is an insult to your intelligence.