64
Metascore
30 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Boxoffice MagazinePete HammondBoxoffice MagazinePete HammondThe timing is right for this remarkable and riveting family drama which puts a human face on the hot-button topic of immigration in such effective and emotional terms that you may never look at the subject in the same way again.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanA Better Life was directed by the eclectic Chris Weitz (The Twilight Saga: New Moon, About a Boy), who weaves the torpor and anxiety of immigrant life into something dramatically true, if at moments a bit draggy.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttBy keeping things simple and understated, director Chris Weitz and screenwriter Eric Eason have crafted a little gem where humanity is observed with compassion, not condescension.
- 70MovielineMichelle OrangeMovielineMichelle OrangeBichir - who played Fidel Castro in "Che" - resists the pathetic impulse, bringing dignity and distinction to a man who wakes up every morning knowing it's not just his burden but his job to be invisible.
- 63Slant MagazineEd GonzalezSlant MagazineEd GonzalezSave for its loving, plaintive, and thorough tour of the seldom-filmed East L.A., A Better Life is, top to bottom, derivative-of Polanski in its direction and of "Bicycle Thieves" in its plot (even Alexandre Desplat's gussy score suggests Angelo Badalamenti playing Mariachi Night).
- 50VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangDirector Chris Weitz's problematic new picture, which, despite Demian Bichir's affecting lead performance and a strong feel for Los Angeles' Mexican-American communities, emerges an earnest and overly programmatic heart-tugger.
- 50Village VoiceMelissa AndersonVillage VoiceMelissa AndersonWeitz and screenwriter Eric Eason are unable to commit fully even to this sudsy vision, tacking on a coda that completely undermines their already timid message.
- 40Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearKudos for stepping outside your comfort zone, sir, even if the result just translates as old-fashioned cultural slumming masked as tear-jerking humanism. Better luck next time.