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In past years the holiday season would have been the time of year for the period dramas of Merchant and Ivory to be released. The Painted Veil reminds several critics of those films. This third version of W. Somerset Maugham's novel receives respectful reviews from most of them and much praise for the performances of Edward Norton and Naomi Watts in the leading roles from nearly all. (The two stars are also producers of the film, and Norton, in particular, was said to have worked diligently to bring it to the screen.) Manohla Dargis in the New York Times calls Norton "an inveterate stealer and masticator of scenes" who is "very fine here." She writes that Watts, whose character keeps her nose in the air throughout "risks our love and earns our awe, ensuring that we never lose sight of the woman even when the film almost does." Bob Strauss in the Los Angeles Daily News writes that the film expands on Maugham's original insights and ideas. "The result," he concludes, "is a thoroughly grown-up movie that compellingly thinks its way through the toughest matters of the heart." But Carina Chocano in the Los Angeles Times takes the filmmakers to task for remaining "at a British remove." She continues, "It's hard to see this lush and stately adaptation ... as anything other than a missed opportunity for some prime psychological spelunking into the dark regions of the soul."

I kept passing on this movie as the story seemed superficial. There is more to this movie - the story has depth, honesty, romance, history, and cinematography. A very touching experience.