Phantom Thread

2017 • 130 minutes
3.8
124 reviews
91%
Tomatometer
R
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Set in the glamour of the 1950's post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) are at the center of the British fashion, dressing royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutants and dames with the distinct style of The House of Woodcock. Women come and go through Woodcock's life until he comes across a young, strong-willed woman, Alma (Vicky Krieps), who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by the scariest curse of all…love. And so begins a Gothic Romance of twists, turns and power struggles of "pure, delicious pleasure" (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian) that is "devilishly funny and luxuriantly sensuous" (Dana Stevens, Slate).
Rating
R

Ratings and reviews

3.8
124 reviews
Tom Grimes
December 31, 2021
Elegant. Beautifully executed. The pacing was superb. The pacing held back, hesitated just enough to create a sense that this is really happening. It wasn't movie-rushed as so many screenplays are. I don't care for Day-Lewis generally because he seems self-possessed as an actor. But in this part, he shined. Lesley Manville...marvelous. The ONE bad attribute of the film was the film editing. There are cuts that are not matched. I don't think it's a continuity problem. I think the film editor simply didn't match the available raw film correctly. I think I could have done a better job using an app on my Android phone.
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Matt Phillips
May 27, 2018
Super boring and absolutely outlives it's welcome. Probably 40 minutes too long. I completely understand the themes and messages it's trying to drive home but it goes on forever. There are scenes where literally nothing happens...characters just stare at eachother or they fight about going dancing. Recommend to avoid. Would be better as a book.
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Nick Otto
April 14, 2018
Solid 4. I'd give it a 4.5 if I could do half stars. Beautifully shot, which is to be expected from PT Anderson. A quirky love story, and a character study of Reynolds Woodcock and Alma Elson. I watch a lot of action movies because I don't have the attention span for dramas unless it's from a director I really trust, and this "film" reminds me of the intrigue and captivation that can come from something so seemingly simple as a character's words and mannerisms. And like I said, great cinematography. And a mature and smart enough story, psychologically, that the characters' aren't totally predictable and their motivations are a little opaque. Which is how it should be. Because even behind that complicatedness, you sense a unity. This movie rings, like a harmonious chord strummed on a guitar. It's a balanced piece of art.
11 people found this review helpful
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