Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.
You have one of the most unexpectedly delightful films of the past year.
The most feel-good movie of the season.
A bona fide classic. You won’t get the smile off your face all the way home.
What a wonderful picture this is: one of those films you yearn to watch again and again, while yet being fearful of spoiling the experience. It is one of the most eloquent movies imaginable.
The Artist is mostly cute and goofy fun, but it lacks boldness that would make its title genuinely ring true.
Film of the year and a joy forever.
Drained of noise and colour, The Artist might just be moving pictures, but pictures are seldom as moving as this one.
Here is a film that enthralls and enchants – that reminds us why we loved going to the pictures in the first place.
Uplifting, heart-warning, hilarious.
The Artist is an instantly accessible, charming and joyous picture that, in going back to basics, reaffirms all the greatest qualities of the cinema: transporting escapism, mood-lifting emotion and great visual elegance and beauty.
Retro but totally modern, frivolous yet fundamentally serious, The Artist is a thing of grace and joy and a great American film – of the sort it takes the French to make.
Dujardin and Bejo are witty and affecting, both pitch perfect (if such a term can be used of silent performances).
Simply irresistible. More than a skit, this a lively and lovable comedy that’s full of personality and charm.
Above all, what shines through The Artist is a love for cinema – as an art form, as a source of joy, as something to take the mind off those troubles for a spell. Hoof along to this one pronto.
It’s not a reinvention of the wheel as many seem to think, but it is a whole lot of fun.
This elegantly crafted salute to yesteryear is well worth shouting about. And we haven’t even mentioned Jack the dog.
A silent movie that speaks volumes: a must-see, cinematic delight.
While it’s hard to predict how the cinematic calendar will play out in 2012, the industry will have to go some distance to vault the bar which has been set remarkably high.
Why silent movies are golden once more
Michel Hazanavicius on The Artist: the man behind the year's loveliest film.
The Artist: the silent film they said no one wanted to see
The Artist: a silent movie brings peace in tumultuous times
Silence is golden: 'The Artist' is set to make an Oscar-worthy star of Berenice Bejo
Interview: Michel Hazanavicius, film director
Michel Hazanavicius
The Artist's Berenice Bejo: Peppy Miller 'is my husband's fantasy'
'The Artist is a once in a lifetime event for us'
The Artist and the rise of retrovision
The Artist's critics break their silence
The Artist director responds to Kim Novak's 'rape' accusation
The Artist could face Hollywood backlash in awards season
The Artist sparks Hollywood nostalgia boom for silent era
General release. Check local listings for show times.