Summerland | Rotten Tomatoes

Summerland

PG

Released Jul 31, 2020

1 hr. 39 min.

Drama

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List

78%

130 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

Audience Score

A reclusive Englishwoman opens her heart to a young evacuee as World War II rages across the channel.

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Premiered May 10

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Critics Consensus

In Summerland, the living is a little too easy to raise dramatic stakes -- but Gemma Arterton's performance adds some much-needed extra heat.

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Dixie C

Very well done just didn’t realize what the story was about. Good acting and as I said well done. Wasn’t to much in your face.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/22/20

Full Review

Kelly

One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Excellent storyline.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/01/20

Full Review

Dani M

While it was predicatable and incredulous at times, it was still enjoyable. The performances were good, the cinematography was beautiful and the ending was emotionally gratifying. I liked that it did not try to be too grand or overly-ambitious. Just a small story about ordinary people living through some extraordinary times. Well worth the watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/05/23

Full Review

Andrea W

Wow! This is an amazing, adorable and heartwarming story. Gemma Arterton is a queen and needs to be in more films. And who can say no to a movie filmed against such beautiful scenery?! Summerland isn't for everyone, but it's certainly something to check out if you love cute stories!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/03/23

Full Review

denise g

Surprisingly fresh and uplifting!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Veronica M

I get that viewers enjoy this movie while the big name critics hate it. You know what I hate? Jaded movie critics. Too often when I rent a well reviewed film, I am disappointed with a cynical twist (think Where the Crawdads Sing, for instance). What a treat, then, to watch a movie that seduces me with erotic glimpses of love and lust while making me laugh with childhood antics. In the end, I cried because, yes, I love happy endings, which, sadly, seem to be in short supply in today's cinema. If you don't mind feeling good, for a change, you will enjoy Summerland.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/19/22

Full Review

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Jessica Swale

Director

Gemma Arterton

Alice

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Vera

Penelope Wilton

Older Alice

Lucas Bond

Frank

Dixie Egerickx

Edie

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Summerland: Trailer 1

2:18

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John Doyle

Globe and Mail

Made with great panache, this is a real gem of understated poignancy; about summers as lovely as they are fraught.

Jan 14, 2021

Full Review

Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

Arterton towers in the role, not always in a good way. A stronger director might have reined her in, but Swale is not yet that experienced. When you add a large amount of treacle to the mix, the film becomes cloying and pushy.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 13, 2021

Full Review

David Stratton

The Australian

The child actors - Bond and Dixie Egerickx who plays a schoolfriend - are the most convincing elements of this woefully unconvincing romantic drama.

Rated: 1.5/5

Jan 9, 2021

Full Review

Dave Giannini

InSession Film

After the third act lands with a thud, it poisons that first hour to the point that the whole thing, at best, just feels like a waste.

Rated: C

Feb 20, 2024

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

Summerland offers a refreshingly modern take on a genre that usually is as diverse as various colors of freshly fallen snow — though it ignores riskier choices that were there for the taking.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 1, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Summerland ignores most of the problems that probably would have emerged in Alice's life and instead opts for a film with copious amounts of warm-hearted escapism. It may be an illusion, but sometimes, that's just what an audience needs.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 18, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

A reclusive Englishwoman opens her heart to a young evacuee as World War II rages across the channel.

Director: Jessica Swale
Executive Producer: Gemma Arterton, Emma Berkofsky, James Atherton, Hugo Grumbar, Tim Haslam
Screenwriter: Jessica Swale
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: British Film Institute, Embankment Films, Quickfire Films
Rating: PG (Smoking|Language|Some Suggestive Comments|Thematic Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 31, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 31, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $58.3K

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