73
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenLoneliness, alienation, the ache of nostalgia and the everyday absurdity of life infuse every encounter in the unconventional road trip.
- 80Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganScreen DailyFionnuala HalliganSoft and sweet, Kirsten Tan’s bright and airy debut is also quietly eloquent, speaking of a loss and regret.
- 80VarietyMaggie LeeVarietyMaggie LeeThis bucolic escape from big-city life is anchored by a solid script filled with characters who, despite reaching the end of the road, find ways to make peace with the world.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranWatching the elephant work the room, so speak, interacting magisterially with all and sundry, is always a treat.
- 75The PlaylistKevin JagernauthThe PlaylistKevin JagernauthThere is an eventual reckoning, but one wishes that Tan, at least for these moments, had allowed the film a few more inches of dramatic space.
- 75IndieWireMichael NordineIndieWireMichael NordinePop Aye never dips into cutesiness or sentimentality, even when you might find yourself wishing it would; it’s less a big-top circus and more a low-key character study.
- 75The A.V. ClubKatie RifeThe A.V. ClubKatie RifePop Aye is a standard, if well-made, indie road trip dramedy. But, you know, with an elephant.
- 70The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisThey make a funny pair, by turns amusing and puzzling, though also melancholic and touching. For the most part, these variations seem by design in a movie that flirts with assorted narrative conventions and fluctuating moods without ever settling into a familiar template.
- 63Slant MagazineClayton DillardSlant MagazineClayton DillardIt too quickly opts out of its Scenes from a Marriage-like potential for what amounts to an augmented take on The Straight Story.
- 63RogerEbert.comRogerEbert.comPop Aye has a pleasant, amiable tone, buttressed by Chananun Chotrungroj’s warm photography and picturesque framing as well as Lee Chatametikool’s purposeful editing scheme, and yet the film feels lacking overall.