49
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 67The Film StageEd FranklThe Film StageEd FranklWhile Kateb is a fine presence, Colmar (a co-writer of the far superior Of Gods and Men) directs with none of his protagonist’s thrilling pizazz, and his and Salatko’s script plods without any of jazz’s syncopated rhythms
- 67IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichDjango deserves credit for refusing to fit its subject into the straightjacket of a survival tale, and Ketab’s expressive turn — much of which is captured in close-ups — provides the story with a richness that the writing struggles to achieve on its own.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerThe Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerThis semi-fictionalized account rings false whenever it eschews reality for a WWII cloak-and-dagger intrigue, trying too hard to dazzle us with plot instead of letting the music speak for itself.
- 60Screen DailyJonathan RomneyScreen DailyJonathan RomneyUnimpeachably honest intentions and a solid, laid-back lead performance by star Reda Kateb mean that at least the film won’t be derided as Django Untuned.
- 60Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlDjango expresses, via the language of film genre, not what Reinhardt’s life was but what it might have felt like.
- 58The PlaylistKimber MyersThe PlaylistKimber MyersWhen Reinhardt’s fingers aren’t dancing across guitar strings, it has all the vitality of an educational film shown by a substitute teacher. It comes alive in those fleeting moments, but they are too infrequent to keep audiences engaged.
- 50VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeThe film — while not an especially compelling or well-told biopic unto itself — shines much-needed attention on the plight of the Roma people at the hands of German (and French) officials.
- 50Slant MagazineKenji FujishimaSlant MagazineKenji FujishimaThe film's most crucial shortcoming lies in its failure to illuminate both the inner life of its subject and his artistic genius.
- 50The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe finale enlivens an otherwise staid biopic, but whether the film has earned a moment of uplift is unclear.
- 40The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawThere is something frustratingly subdued and constrained dramatically about this slow and unsyncopated film, which indulges in quite a few cliches about wartime Paris.