I just watched this on youtube because of Sondheim recent passing. I'd never seen the play before, but I have seen the Ingmar Bergman film it is rather closely based on. I can't really think of any reason for the bad reviews. Some of the dubbing is bad, particularly for Fredericka who is a teenager but for some reason has an adult woman's voice. Also, it is a bit unfortunate that Leslie-Ann Dowd and the actor who plays her stepson have no onscreen chemistry (and I blame her since sparks do fly when the maid teases him). But both of these are small things considering Fredericka is such a minor character, and the relationship between stepmother and stepson is really just there as the prime example of Frederick's mistakes. The rest is wonderful. The lines are good and delivered with good humor. The songs are interesting and have a few lyrics here and there that I kept thinking about after the movie was over. And best of all is Diana Rigg, who is reason enough to watch the movie all by herself. She steals every scene she is in, if not walk away with the entire picture. She is revelatory, like Edith Evans' Lady Bracknell. The character Diana is playing is a bit sad and the lines she has been given rather pathetic, and yet Diana finds in every one a great deal of humor and self sufficiency. She really must be seen. Probably she is responsible for the majority of the stars in my rating.