Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Before Sunset

Play trailer Poster for Before Sunset R 2004 1h 20m Romance Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
94% Tomatometer 181 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
A sequel to Before Sunrise, this film starts nine years later as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine (Julie Delpy). After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.

Where to Watch

Before Sunset

Before Sunset

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Filled with engaging dialogue, Before Sunset is a witty, poignant romance, with natural chemistry between Hawke and Delpy.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Adam Kempenaar Filmspotting 05/23/2025
5/5
...I was perfectly content to let Jesse and Celine live on forever in my imagination. The possibility of that affair to remember future meet-up was satisfying enough. Or so I thought. Go to Full Review
Christy Lemire Associated Press 08/08/2012
It's a lovely, beguiling little film a rare treat during this overheated season of blockbusters. It's also an unusual example of a follow-up that doesn't seem forced, but expands effortlessly on the original. Go to Full Review
Joe Morgenstern Wall Street Journal 08/08/2012
The reunion has some lively moments, but a great deal of slow walking and fatuous talking about love, married life and sex. Go to Full Review
Dave Giannini InSession Film 02/20/2024
There are any number of times where they could leave each other’s sights (again), but this time for good. But they don’t, and the audience is treated to love at first sight a second time. Go to Full Review
James Croot The Post NZ 11/29/2023
4.5/5
This would all be dreary and forgettable fluff, were it not for the charm and chemistry of the leads. Go to Full Review
Tina Kakadelis Beyond the Cinerama Dome 07/25/2023
Before Sunset is the kind of movie that takes every pre-conceived notion of filmmaking and throws it out the window. It is a celebration of being alive and how lovely and frightening love is. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Vixo S @vixo_six 11h Before Sunset is a quietly devastating film because it turns real time conversation into emotional suspense. Richard Linklater lets every pause, glance and unfinished thought carry the weight of years, making love feel less like a grand event than a question both characters are afraid to answer. Ethan Hawke gives Jesse a restless vulnerability, while Julie Delpy makes Celine guarded, wounded and deeply alive. Their chemistry feels lived in because the film is not built on dramatic twists, but on the slow collapse of the defenses they created to survive adulthood. What makes the film endure is its patience. The ticking clock gives every ordinary exchange urgency, while the dialogue reveals regret, desire and fear without forcing confession. Before Sunset understands that some encounters matter because they ask whether honesty can arrive before time runs out. See more Tyler S. @tmanstro May 25 This trilogy makes me feel so energized when I watch it. Such a beautiful film and trilogy about life. See more Horror fan 4 @Horrorfan4life May 1 A perfect middle entry into this amazing trilogy. The characters and performances are great. This was 75 short minutes about catching up from the previous movie. We get to see what they are up to and where they've been the past 9 years. Brilliant. Tim Treakle See more Jay D @JayJustLovesMovies Mar 13 If I could only own a handful of romance movies, this is in it. The Notebook, Shakespeare in Love, The Lover and this (honorable mention to Reality Bites. I know it's probably more a rom com (Shakespeare too), but the last five minutes makes me want to genre jump it). I do enjoy the whole before trilogy, but I do feel each preceding title is better than the one that follows. No bad ones for sure, but could've been happier with Before Midnight. You can definitely just watch this one and be done with it should you want. Each title really has its own ending that could've tied the story up enough. See more Robinsson G @Gabo123 Feb 15 Pensé que sería algo más atractiva de ver. Pero sus eternos e insulsos diálogos no ayudaron. Faltó emoción y algo adicional, algo trascendental. Pellcula para ver una única vez...😩😐 See more Sahil K @Sahilk171 Dec 19 The best of the trilogy and the ending keeps u wanting them to be together , 7/10 See more Read all reviews
Before Sunset

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING
Before Sunrise 100% 93% Before Sunrise Watchlist TRAILER for Before Sunrise Before Midnight 98% 82% Before Midnight Watchlist XX/XY 42% 44% XX/XY Watchlist Now & Forever 18% 80% Now & Forever Watchlist We Don't Live Here Anymore 65% 54% We Don't Live Here Anymore Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A sequel to Before Sunrise, this film starts nine years later as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) travels across Europe giving readings from a book he wrote about the night he spent in Vienna with Celine (Julie Delpy). After his reading in Paris, Celine finds him, and they spend part of the day together before Jesse has to again leave for a flight. They are both in relationships now, and Jesse has a son, but as their strong feelings for each other start to return, both confess a longing for more.
Director
Richard Linklater
Producer
Anne Walker-McBay
Screenwriter
Julie Delpy, Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, Kim Krizan
Distributor
Warner Independent
Production Co
Detour Filmproduction, Warner Independent Pictures, Castle Rock Entertainment
Rating
R (Sexual References|Language)
Genre
Romance, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 10, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 3, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$5.8M
Runtime
1h 20m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)