Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Hours

Play trailer Poster for The Hours PG-13 2002 1h 54m Drama Romance Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
79% Tomatometer 194 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
"The Hours" is the story of three women searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together in a surprising, transcendent moment of shared recognition.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Hours

The Hours

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The movie may be a downer, but it packs an emotional wallop. Some fine acting on display here.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya Autostraddle Mar 20, 2024
Even as it jumps between 20th century decades, The Hours is intensely, almost upsettingly linear. A lot like life. Go to Full Review Charlotte O'Sullivan Independent (UK) Nov 15, 2017
It's a must-see. Mainstream epics routinely privilege the father-son bond... In The Hours, patriarchs barely figure, and the only phallic weapon on display is Virginia's pen. Go to Full Review Nell Minow Common Sense Media Dec 28, 2010
5/5
Smart, thoughtful movie for older teens and up. Go to Full Review Carla Monfort Espinof Aug 15, 2022
4/5
Few movies depict depression as well, it's subtle and truthful, without overloading it dramatically even though it touches upon suicide and other complicated subjects... [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review David Reddish Queerty Mar 20, 2022
4/4
Loaded with rich dialogue, magnificent performances and a delicate score by Philip Glass, The Hours reminds us how movies can touch and reflect our lives. For the characters that embrace love and truth, life offers joy and hope. Go to Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site Feb 16, 2021
Self-involved and self-important to a dangerously high degree ... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
bruce F @bruce999 Aug 4, 2026 mesmerizing account. What drama. What acting. interesting See more pat S @taxing May 21, 2026 I appreciated director's clean, precise approach in exposition. Purposeful time was spent on revealing each character's mental environment with next-to-no excess material, in ways much like a stage play. The cast was stellar; Streep, Kidman, Moore, and especially Harris owned their parts. The discussion of intent ultimately didn't end up being as important to me as the beauty of the film's presentation. See more Les N @Vegas628 May 20, 2026 To think that I discovered mental health via a movie. See more Jovana M. @J_loves_movies May 16, 2026 The dramatic music throughout the entire movie and dramatic behavior of the lead charachters meanwhile nothing dramatic is actually happening. So boring, I can't think of a single interesting scene in this movie. What a shame, considering the cast. The only thing Oscar worthy is Nicole's transformation as she was really unrecognizable, but the performance and the actual movie itself is probably top 5 most boring movies to watch. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Mar 1, 2026 Success in 1 hour and 54 minutes. See more Erik B @Atma-X Feb 14, 2026 Melodramatic and probably full of emotions I don't understand, but the elements that link the three stories together are interesting and intriguing. And Nicole Kidman's performance is pretty spectacular. See more Read all reviews
The Hours

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Stephen Daldry

Director

Meryl Streep

Clarissa Vaughan

Julianne Moore

Laura Brown

Nicole Kidman

Virginia Woolf

Ed Harris

Richard

Toni Collette

Kitty

More Like This

View All
Chocolat 63% 83% Chocolat Watchlist The Vertical Ray of the Sun 81% 86% The Vertical Ray of the Sun Watchlist The Cider House Rules 72% 77% The Cider House Rules Watchlist All the Pretty Horses 32% 42% All the Pretty Horses Watchlist Passion of Mind 18% 51% Passion of Mind Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Related Movie News

View All
Know Your Critic: Manuel Betancourt, Critic and Culture Writer
View All

The Hours

View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis "The Hours" is the story of three women searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together in a surprising, transcendent moment of shared recognition.
Director
Stephen Daldry
Producer
Scott Rudin
Screenwriter
Michael Cunningham, David Hare
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures, Miramax Films
Rating
PG-13 (Mature Thematic Elements|Brief Language|Some Disturbing Images)
Genre
Drama, Romance, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 27, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$41.6M
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings