56
Metascore
21 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- Chadwick strikes a perfect balance between humor and tragic gravity, and the result is that an unknown story seems certain to stir the hearts of audiences worldwide.
- 80Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyLos Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyAnchored by a lovely performance from Oliver Litondo as Maruge and an exuberant Naomie Harris as Jane Obinchu, the school principal who champions his cause, the result is a tearful, joyful, imperfect, yet nearly irresistible ode to the human spirit.
- The First Grader offers a tumultuous but uplifting journey.
- 60New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierDirector Justin Chadwick ("The Other Boleyn Girl") shows admirable restraint bringing this true story to the screen, and Litando does much with glimmers of emotion and wells of dignity.
- 58Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumPlays more like a teaching tool than a dynamic drama.
- 50The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottThis ambition - to provoke thought while tugging at heartstrings - makes The First Grader fascinating and frustrating in almost equal measure.
- 50New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoToo bad the script is predictable at every turn.
- 40Time OutEric HynesTime OutEric HynesA lot of history gets horned into this undeniably inspirational parable, though slick execution and simplistic storytelling make it a lesson suitable only for easily impressed elementary-school students.
- 40Village VoiceVillage VoiceChadwick veers frequently into flashbacks to Maruge's past as a Mau Mau resistance fighter-mostly prolonged scenes of torture and violence that do little to inform or propel the present-day story. Poorly defined tribal lines flare up, and Jane's life is threatened, the point at which the script's Hollywood contrivances open up and swallow this often charming film whole.