An excellent adaptation. Judi Dench was incredible; you got as much nuance in an expression here than in a page in the book, and her character came off as extra creepy—delectable!

This film is truer to the book than many others are. Good book – good film.

I really wanted to like this. It’s something “different.” It’s two leads are female. I love Cate Blanchett. But for me it fell somewhat short. It was well directed and fairly well scripted. Judi Dench was great. Cate Blanchett was actually a bit disappointing, but that could have just been being overshadowed by Dame Judi Dench. I just thought she didn’t really do much with her character, nothing like Katharine Hepburn or even her segment of Coffee & Cigarettes.
I think my biggest problem with the movie, though, was the characters themselves. I couldn’t really understand why Sheba would have an affair with a student. (Although he was gorgeous, in that 15 year old boy kind of way.) Something was mentioned about how when she met her husband she was his 20 year old student. But that doesn’t really seem like a reasonable explanation. I guess that wasn’t really the focus of the story but it was still sketchy. The focus of the story was, in fact, the relationship between the two women, and primarily Barbara’s own predatory impulses. It all seemed weirdly misogynistic to me. Here’s this movie about women that’s actually, for once, a serious movie and the women are all pathological. And the “moral” seemed a little off to me. What exactly was the movie trying to say? That being a statutory rapist is really nothing compared to being a controlling, clingy, overly needy lesbian? Barbara was seriously creepy and her character totally played into this combination of the evil, old spinster-witch stereotype and the homosexual who’s out to “convert” the unsuspecting, vulnerable hetero.

hm. really different. and the acting was brilliant. cate blanchett is my absolute favorite. the plot is not too eloquent and is kind of similar to other maniacal-type movies, with crooked endings, but overall a very good film.

I don’t know if you’re ever really in the mood to watch a film like this, but Notes on a Scandal is marvelously acted, brilliantly scripted, and artfully directed. While I don’t think it’s a movie I’ll watch repeatedly, it’s definitely worth at least one viewing. Marvelous performances by Cate Blanchett and Judy Dench.

It was awesome watching Judi Dench do something different.

Riveting. Totally draws you in