U.S Critics Laud 'Burton and Taylor' Before Domestic American Bow

It landed in the UK in the height of this summer gone, but Burton and Taylor only hit the Hamptons Film Festival in the U.S a few days ago, and will make its stateside debut on the 16th on BBC America.

Dominic West and Helena Bonham Carter in Burton and Taylor

The TV-movie biopic of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton - starring Helena Bonham-Carter and Dominic West – was praised in the UK, and it looks as though the American critics saw the project in the same light.

The San Francisco Chronicle were quick to praise the individual performances in the movie, saying: “All of this would be so much Hollywood melodrama were it not for a superb script and stunning performances by West and Carter.”

Entertainment Weekly weren’t quite as complimentary, but were still positive with their take on things. “Though Helena Bonham Carter struggles to get Taylor's voice just right--it sounds more like a Madeline Kahn impression--she's a gas as aging party girl Liz,” goes their review.

Bonham-Carter and West have been lauded for their roles in the TV-movie

“Dominic West's Dick, meanwhile, is a model of worldweary dignity. If only they, and their film, were quite as gloriously messy as Liz and Dick themselves,” they continue.

People Weekly simply say “Burton and Taylor is a wry, bittersweet take on a celebrated Hollywood romance.”

“West doesn’t much resemble Burton, but he embodies him, capturing a proud man who is both battle-scarred and spent, like a bullfighter who’s been gored a few times too many,” say Variety, who do add a caveat to their review.

“Directed by Richard Laxton and written by William Ivory, Burton and Taylor can’t help but feel somewhat slight, due to its structure and focus.”

Especially compared to the other, similarly themed effort, starring a certain Lindsay Lohan

Overall, the critics are pleased with this portrayal of one of Hollywood’s most enigmatic couples. Being released at a similar time to Liz & Dick, starring Lindsay Lohan, won’t have harmed its perception, however.