First reviews for Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh's R-rated romance say the two leads have "charm in abundance"

(Image credit: A24)

The first reviews of We Live in Time, a new movie starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, are in after the movie premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, and critics can't get enough of the duo's performances. The R-rated A24 romantic drama debuted to a Rotten Tomatoes score of 80%.

Garfield and Pugh play Tobias and Almut, who meet by chance after Almut hits Tobias with her car. What follows is a decades-spanning romance, told in a non-chronological order that posits the early sparks of romance side-by-side against the tragedy of the couple's later lives.

"It’s such a joy to watch two such assured and natural performers allowed the room to exercise both movie star and actor muscles as well as showcase their ease with both comedy and drama," reads The Guardian's review, while Loud and Clear writes that the film features "a central duo with charm in abundance."

"With Pugh and Garfield leading this tremendous love story, We Live in Time becomes one of the best movie romances in years, and proves that few filmmakers can present the power of love quite like Crowley can," Collider echoes.

Other critics had their gripes with the film, however, with Screen Daily writing that "ultimately, We Live In Time views Tobias and Almut as abstractions, and by jumping back and forth in time, it never makes them very present," while Variety notes that "take away the sequencing gimmick, and you’re left with just another run-of-the-mill cancer drama, albeit one with a dream cast."

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.