Madame Bovary
A restless provincial bride pursues glamour, passion, and social elevation until romantic fantasy overwhelms the life she has built.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- wistful
- oppressive
- literary adaptation night
- period drama viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found this adaptation of Flaubert's difficult novel visually and thematically earnest but ultimately disappointing, with mixed execution and limited emotional impact.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Emma repeatedly measures her marriage and provincial life against glamorous fantasies of passion and status.
Emma's marriage, domestic role, and limited social options drive her search for autonomy and excitement.
Emma's father's pig farm and small-town marriage are set against the high society she longs to enter.
Emma pursues luxury, social recognition, and experiences beyond her means in an effort to reinvent herself.
Films like Madame Bovary, and why
Anna Karenina
literary period drama centered on a dissatisfied woman pursuing romance, status, and escape from restrictive social expectations
The Age of Innocence
tragic nineteenth-century adaptation exploring marriage, social status, female desire, and destructive romantic idealism
Atonement
class-conscious period drama about illicit desire, social constraint, and the consequences of romantic fantasy
Movie Details
- Director
- Sophie Barthes
- Release Date
- 2015-06-04
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (423)
Cast
- Mia Wasikowska
- Rhys Ifans
- Ezra Miller
- Logan Marshall-Green
- Henry Lloyd-Hughes
- Laura Carmichael
- Olivier Gourmet
- Paul Giamatti
- Luke Tittensor
- Richard Cordery
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Madame Bovary about?
- A restless provincial bride pursues glamour, passion, and social elevation until romantic fantasy overwhelms the life she has built.
- What is Madame Bovary like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Madame Bovary as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Madame Bovary violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Madame Bovary.
- What did critics think of Madame Bovary?
- Critics broadly found this adaptation of Flaubert's difficult novel visually and thematically earnest but ultimately disappointing, with mixed execution and limited emotional impact.
- Which films are like Madame Bovary?
- Films with a similar feel include Anna Karenina, The Age of Innocence, and Atonement.
- How long is Madame Bovary?
- Madame Bovary runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch Madame Bovary?
- In United States, Madame Bovary streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel.
