SummaryA bitter, aging couple, with the help of alcohol, use a young couple to fuel anguish and emotional pain towards each other.
Directed By:Mike Nichols
Written By:Ernest Lehman, Edward Albee
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Metascore
Generally Favorable
75
User score
Generally Favorable
8.0
My Score
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
82% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
18% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
It features the best real-life husband-wife pairing onscreen ever.
90
In its forthright dealing with the play, this becomes one of the most scathingly honest American films ever made.
90
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an instant film classic, and Warner Bros. deserves the highest credit for making it a movie without compromise.
80
An emotional horror story, both the play and the film triggered controversy and challenged the status quo.
80
A time capsule now of all that was considered controversial and gutsy in 1966.
75
What Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh did for Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, Burton and Taylor do for Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? They remind us that sometimes writing and directing must simply step aside and concede the power of performance.
50
Mike Nichols had the Burtons for his first film (1966), but he felt compelled to drag in so many jazzy camera tricks that Richard and Elizabeth seem largely superfluous for the first couple of reels. When Nichols finally settles down, it's almost too late.
User score
Generally Favorable
83% Positive
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
17% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Jun 18, 2021
8
A movie, that you won't forget. There are so many humiliations and psychological wars between the couple and their acting is top, similar to the war of the roses.
Jul 14, 2025
6
Obviously a film based on a stage production, the writing is clearly good but I did have trouble keeping up with the pace of the drunken babbling for 2 hours.
Production Company:
- Warner Bros.
- Chenault Productions
Release Date:Jun 22, 1966
Duration:2 h 11 m
Rating:TV-MA
Tagline:It can now be said: 1. Apart from its widespread critical acclaim, it has provoked more discussion, interest and excitement than any other picture in memory. 2. People want to see it - in unprecedented numbers. In its first engagements it has shattered every record in the history of all theatres involved. 3. It has become a significant and extraordinary entertainment event. It is truly a unique motion picture.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 5 Wins & 13 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 7 Nominations
Laurel Awards
• 4 Wins & 5 Nominations
