Judi Dench,
Cate Blanchett,
Bill Nighy,
Andrew Simpson,
Phil Davis
... see more 
Lust, jealousy, and revenge come cloaked in the guise of friendship in this psychological drama. Barbara Covett (Judi Dench) is a history teacher at a high school in London; while elderly Barbara is v... read more
Directed by: Richard Eyre
Release Date: December 25, 2006
DVD Release Date: April 17, 2007
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Stats: 7,609 reviews
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Flixster Reviews (7,609)
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January 19, 2008I got very little out of this movie. Tired, obvious subject, played for melodrama, poorly. Philip Glass score was just too up-front.
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May 26, 2012The plot right there is most of what makes this film roll so well. NOTES ON A SCANDAL is quite easily comparable to Alfred Hitchcockâ(TM)s REAR WINDOW when analyzing the tactics used to produce such a film. The first half an hour is used to set up the characters; at the thirty-mi... read more
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August 22, 2011Notes on a Scandal is a near flawless film with stellar acting that will keep the viewer on the edge of his seat. The film has a phenomenal cast that makes this film an incredible cinematic experience. Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench are incredible in their respective roles. Notes ... read more
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April 15, 2011Wonderful performances all around, with an outstanding and eerie performance from Judy Dench.
This film is cleverly put together to contain a very controversial subject and yet the attention is drawn far more to the sub-topic of the relationship between Dench and Blanchett's c... read more -
April 20, 2010"People trust me with their secrets. But who do I trust with mine? You, only you."
A veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her 15-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyo... read more -
December 9, 2009Wow, Notes on a Scandal is a supremely uncomfortable movie to watch. It's expertly crafted and the acting is flawless, but its subject matter is such that I didn't enjoy it enough to give it a higher rating.
On another note, I'm becoming more aware of the huge differences in act... read more -
September 30, 2009A well told story of obsession, secrets and deception. Judi Dench steals the show when surrounded by a half hearted supporting cast but she did get all the good lines while everyone else had to do the best they could with one of the worst scripts ever. Jesus wept indeed! Still, a... read more
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July 13, 2009This decent drama tells the story of a controlling teacher, who forces a young colleague into a friendship of need and betrayal. The acting is outstanding, as the names Dench and Blanchett already imply. The film remains realistic enough, without falling into bitch-fights-with-kn... read more
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April 21, 2009For the most part Notes on a Scandal is a terrific underplayed thriller. Cape Fear or Misery without the horror and violence. On the other hand, it is an overplayed drama in some sequences. The actors sometimes boil into their own dish, separate and distracting from the film. The... read more
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March 18, 2009Great performances and a decent story. It's not going to blow you away with twists and turns, but it has a fair share of "unexpected" moments.
Critic Reviews
February 9, 2007
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
January 12, 2007
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
This compact, fierce and frightening domestic thriller is the most violent film in many a day. The rage is in the angry words, the deepest thoughts of its 'heroine,' and the fear about what might come... Full Review
January 11, 2007
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While Glenn Close played her Fatal Attraction character's 'I will not be ignored' psycho-obsession out front and out loud, Dench does it as subtext, making it all the more insidious, frightening ... a... Full Review
January 8, 2007
David Denby, New Yorker
In England, it seems, actresses have nothing to fear from age. They can simply wait for writers to create fresh work for them.
January 5, 2007
Bruce Newman, San Jose Mercury News
Patrick Marber's adaptation of the Zoë Heller novel improves upon the promise of the [Dench/Blanchett] pairing with a story that wastes no time on preliminaries as it descends -- gleefully -- into pit...
January 5, 2007
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle
Dramatic overstatement saturates just about every piece of this production. Even that master of orchestral pop minimalism, Philip Glass, managed to write a score that slinks into the dark shadows of o... Full Review
January 5, 2007
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Almost unbearably tense as the relationship between cat and mouse takes completely unexpected, if completely believable, turns. Full Review
January 5, 2007
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Notes on a Scandal may not always be deeply illuminating, but [director Richard] Eyre adds enough pathos and emotional realism to keep the movie from curdling into a snide joke.
January 5, 2007
Michael Booth, Denver Post
The writers and the actors have just enough sympathy for their characters to keep Notes from deteriorating into a comedy of horrible manners. Full Review
January 5, 2007
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
Ms. Dench is scary good, a collection of withering glances and quiet delusion accentuated by a wickedly funny voice-over. Ms. Blanchett matches her step for step. Full Review
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Notes on a Scandal
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