Wednesday, May 27, 2026

“Napoleon” Faces New Waterloo With Negative Reviews, Joaquin Phoenix Attends Paris Premiere But Snubs Press, Leaves Early

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Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” is meeting a new Waterloo.

Last night in Paris, star Joaquin Phoenix showed up with wife Rooney Mara, bypassed the press, and left the screening early according to Variety.

At least got a first class trip to Paris, right?

Reviews for “Napoleon” are mixed to negative, with Rotten Tomatoes current score at 62% — and falling. I’m sorry I missed last night’s screening in New York. Apparently, “Napoleon” is very funny, which is not what you’d expect from an epic about a man who looted the world as he pillaged it.

Vanessa Kirby, however, is getting good notices as Josephine.

Among the publications that didn’t like it: Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair, and The Wrap. In Variety, Peter DeBruge wrote: “Napoleon ultimately suffers from the same problem as its subject: The film’s ambitions are greater than the people demand, as Scott bites off more than he can manage.”

“Napoleon” opens next week.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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