| 1. |
|
01/02/13 |
Moderate |
"...well-intentioned, slightly cloying.... What might have been a tough and adult take on a bond full of hope but thwarted by war plays more like an after-school special." |
| 2. |
|
09/27/10 |
Excellent |
"...remarkably surefooted... written, directed, and played with such verve and deep, unshowy feeling that its insights on these tried-and-true themes come through with rare and startling clarity." |
| 3. |
|
01/09/13 |
Moderate |
"...silly and sweet... there are lots of cutesy stylistic touches, but few insights into how the protagonist's various identities (queer, Jewish, French) clash and come together." |
| 4. |
|
01/17/13 |
Moderate |
"...paper thin and mostly unimaginative: a series of cartoonish vignettes during which a generically eccentric Jewish clan confronts movie-family problems..." |
| 5. |
|
10/14/10 |
Very Good |
"...has some big things going for it, not least of which is the stupendous central performance by Dan Byrd..." |
| 6. |
|
03/21/13 |
Fair |
"The humor here is broad and sitcom-ish, and Ken Scott displays little sense of rhythm; the film runs under two hours, but feels considerably longer." |
| 7. |
|
03/20/13 |
Fair |
"...despite its self-consciously contemporary subject matter, reveals a dismayingly retro message: Life has no meaning unless a biological father is front and center." |
| 8. |
|
09/01/10 |
Weak |
"...bizarre and flamboyant... you're left with the odd impression of having seen not a bad film but a thoroughly wrongheaded and misguided one." |
| 9. |
|
10/11/12 |
Weak |
"...another gooey slice of Gallic nostalgia... blandly composed images, cookie-cutter period detail, (berets and baguettes galore), and pandering score." |
| 10. |
|
10/10/12 |
Weak |
"...despite its darker themes, Christophe Barratier coats the film in his typical gloss, draining it of any sense of danger, authentic emotion, or spontaneous humor..." |