82
Metascore
26 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100CineVueCineVueThis brilliant, beautifully observed comedy is a joy to watch throughout. The Second Mother's narrative works on so many levels, reflected in the film's ambiguous title, and the characterisation is flawless.
- 100The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThe Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijMuylaert does a deft job here of plotting her story and setting up her characters and their predicaments in ways that immediately invite reflection.
- 100Village VoiceAmy NicholsonVillage VoiceAmy NicholsonAs we switch sympathies from scene to scene, Muylaert forces us to think big about the clash between idealism and acceptance, a philosophical war that spills beyond the walls of this small story into every corner of our own lives.
- 100Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMs. Muylaert’s guiding principle seems to have been fearlessness, and her film, which was shot by Barbara Alvarez, is superb on all counts.
- 90VarietyGeoff BerkshireVarietyGeoff BerkshireThe script is executed with enough naturalism to ward off complaints of contrivance — all the way up to a tidy, but quite satisfying, denouement.
- 90Screen DailyDan FainaruScreen DailyDan FainaruTouching, funny, perceptive and simple enough to carry large audiences, The Second Mother is carried throughout by a hilarious, intelligent and soulful performance from veteran Brazilian actress, comedian and TV host Regina Case, surrounded by a solid supporting cast.
- 75New York PostFarran Smith NehmeNew York PostFarran Smith NehmeBrazilian director Anna Muylaert’s deft, funny film is set in São Paulo, but the class distinctions shown have no borders.
- 67The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThere’s a rah-rah element to The Second Mother that undermines its sociological ambition.
- 63Slant MagazineClayton DillardSlant MagazineClayton DillardCharacter relations are hinted at and even primed for confrontation, but without payoff or meaningful conclusion.
- 60The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe Second Mother goes soft toward the end, defusing its conflicts too easily and inconsequentially.