"Hedda Gabler, one of the theater's great schemers, is transported to 1950s England in Nia DaCosta's deliriously fun, intelligent and impassioned spin on the classic Henrik Ibsen drama. One needn't know anything about Ibsen's 1890 play to enjoy Hedda. Like Clueless and Bridget Jones' Diary before it, Hedda, in theaters Friday, is a film that works entirely on its own terms. It might even inspire some curiosity about its source material."
"Hedda is, after all, the most dangerous type of person: Brilliant and "catastrophically bored," as observed by a pivotal character. On the surface, the gathering is a celebration of Hedda and George's return after a six-month honeymoon, but Hedda has more than small talk on her mind. She needs to ensure her husband secures a promotion to get them out of debt -"
"It is devastating to watch Eileen lose her grip simply because she's naive enough to think that Hedda is worth listening to. But Hoss doesn't resort to cliches to illustrate this descent - she's far too intelligent for that. Instead, it's a subtle, affecting portrait of relapse, punctured by a wildly cruel embarrassment that is brilliantly staged and executed. The film understandably loses much of its steam without Hoss holding the screen, but by then it's nearly over anyway."
The film relocates Hedda Gabler to 1950s England and frames her as a brilliant, catastrophically bored schemer whose manipulations drive the plot. A return-home gathering after a six-month honeymoon becomes the stage for Hedda's efforts to secure her husband's promotion and escape debt, complicated by the arrival of Eileen Lovborg, a rival and former lover. The production favors meticulous design and an immersive point of view, with cinematography that moves from party spaces to private conversations. Performances portray relapse and humiliation with subtle intelligence. The film slows when its lead is absent, and it faces premature streaming and unfair comparisons to lesser films.
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