65
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New RepublicStanley KauffmannThe New RepublicStanley KauffmannWashington Heights, under De Villa's guidance, bubbles. Once more, as in comparable films, it creates a foreign nexus in a domestic setting -- a group of people who live in two cultures.
- 88Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaPhiladelphia InquirerSteven ReaMade in a forthright, unfancy style and utilizing a cast of born naturals, Washington Heights deftly draws parallels between father and son's complicated relationship and the tensions that pulse through this predominantly Dominican American community.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasThis well-paced film's realistic style and authentic locales are a perfect fit for the characters and their story.
- 80Film ThreatMerle BertrandFilm ThreatMerle BertrandA powerful no-frills drama. It's a film that never flinches from its colorful, if sometimes cruel namesake neighborhood and the people who populate it.
- 75Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittDe Villa's debut film is persuasively written and acted, if a tad rougher around the edges than one might wish.
- 70Village VoiceEdward CrouseVillage VoiceEdward CrouseOne-upping Latino immigrant movies like "Luminarias" and "Tortilla Soup," Washington Heights zeroes in on go-getters (mostly of Dominican lineage) whose ambitions are transformed by familial demands.
- 63New York PostMegan LehmannNew York PostMegan LehmannDe Villa has created a truthful representation of a colorful community.
- 60VarietyVarietyBelievable characters trump the retread plot and hokey message.
- 60The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenFor all its untidiness, Washington Heights teems with life, and its star, Mr. Perez, has charisma to burn. The movie vividly depicts the interdependence and solidarity of people in working-class urban neighborhoods where residents really need one another.
- 50L.A. WeeklyChuck WilsonL.A. WeeklyChuck WilsonPromising yet problematic.