Hysteria

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Hysteria

R

2012

1h 39m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

128 Reviews

54%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Two doctors (Hugh Dancy, Jonathan Pryce) in Victorian England use manual stimulation of female genitalia to cure their patients' ills, leading to the invention of the vibrator.

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Critics Consensus

Hysteria has an amusing subject but its winking, vaguely sarcastic tone doesn't do the movie any favors.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 8, 2017

C-

Effective acting and Tanya Wexler's direction of a taboo topic (especially given the era in which it's set) cannot save the unbearably choppy and uneven writing of the movie.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Sep 21, 2012

3/5

It's all rather sweet in its way, as it treads gingerly round and round its subject. Nicely acted too, especially by Gyllenhaal and Pryce.

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Basia Cummings

Little White Lies

Sep 20, 2012

2/5

Maggie Gyllenhaal channels Emma Thompson on heat. No sale.

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James Croot

The Post NZ

Dec 29, 2021

4/5

Hysteria is actually a gentle, good-humoured and surprisingly sweet romantic-comedy.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 11, 2020

2.5/4.0

The truth is that both Hugh Dancy and Maggie Gyllenhaal do fine here, though that is seldom the case when the two are together.

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Kate Rodger

Newshub (NZ)

Aug 30, 2019

3/5

An entirely inoffensive, light and tasty little romp round Victorian London which has been nicely cast and delivered.

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SIMAS C

@simas_eros Oct 21, 2026

A lighthearted and mischievous film about the presumed invention of the electric vibrator and the impact this development had on the understanding of female sexuality in 19th-century England.

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Georgan G

@RT98616417 Jan 11, 2025

3.25 stars. Doubt that this is based on truth, but for a rom com it was good. Especially considering I usually don't care for them.

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Steve D

@RT35616104 Oct 18, 2023

Entertaining but lacking in reality.

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May 19, 2021

It's funny as fuck! Yes, yes the female struggle. Once in a while one ought to be allowed to turn its brain off and have a marry old laugh at histories expense.

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Feb 9, 2021

Entertaining and insightful! A well spent hour.

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Jan 5, 2021

Highly entertaining and tongue in cheek humor. Do not watch if you take life too seriously. Otherwise some red Wine, good company, cheese .... & chocolate. Sit back and enjoy.

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Tanya Wexler

Director

Hugh Dancy

Dr. Mortimer Granville

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Charlotte Dalrymple

Jonathan Pryce

Dr. Dalrymple

Felicity Jones

Emily

Rupert Everett

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Synopsis

Two doctors (Hugh Dancy, Jonathan Pryce) in Victorian England use manual stimulation of female genitalia to cure their patients' ills, leading to the invention of the vibrator.

Director: Tanya Wexler
Producer: Sarah Curtis, Judy Cairo, Tracey Becker
Screenwriter: Stephen Dyer, Jonah Lisa Dyer
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Informant Media
Rating: R (Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 18, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.8M
Runtime: 1h 39m

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