The Reader

2008 | 124 min | Drama, Romance

Sunday Safe Bet

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

It won an Oscar and audiences rate it highly (7.5/10), though it had little lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Have you seen it?

The story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who, as a teenager in the late 1950s, had an affair with an older woman, Hanna, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a concentration camp guard late in the war. He alone realizes that Hanna is illiterate and may be concealing that fact at the expense of her freedom.

How it earned its rating

CriticsSolid
63% on Rotten Tomatoes, 58 on Metacritic
AudiencesStrong
7.5/10 from 4K viewers
AwardsVery strong
12 wins, 23 other nominations — won Academy Award for Best Actress; won Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Box office & staying powerSolid
$109 million worldwide on a $32 million budget
Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
Measured from current popularity