59
Metascore
24 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanThe film says that the U.S. immigrant situation is untenable, but then it forces US to ask: What should be done?
- 80Washington PostAnn HornadayWashington PostAnn HornadayThanks to the uncommonly shrewd judgment of screenwriter Ligiah Villalobos and director Patricia Riggen, both newcomers, the film never feels like rank exploitation, even as it steadily aims for the emotional jugular.
- 75USA TodayClaudia PuigUSA TodayClaudia PuigA powerful and evocative account of the efforts undertaken to forge a perilous mother-and-child reunion. Told in Spanish with English subtitles, it is a moving tale of yearning, as well as unflagging courage and determination.
- 63PremiereGlenn KennyPremiereGlenn KennyAccomplished and well-intentioned to the extent that one wants to accentuate the positive, but the positive isn't the whole, alas; for every moment in the film that evokes classic neo-realism, there's another that's commonplace or overly sentimental.
- 63Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsChicago TribuneMichael PhillipsAn estimated 4 million Latinas leave one or more children behind when they travel north to find work. They deserve a more nuanced film, but this one’s often affecting.
- 58The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonThe A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonA harmless feel-good movie that tries to tell audiences what it's like to be a victimized immigrant, and mostly winds up telling them what it's like to have their heartstrings yanked, gratuitiously and often.
- 50VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangWrapping the political hot potato of illegal immigration in the sentimental balm of a mother-son reunion drama, this stirring tale will be embraced most enthusiastically by Mexican audiences on both sides of the border.
- 50Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranThis largely Spanish-language film brings on the waterworks because its core story is undeniably affecting. The whole movie, however, would be more convincing if the elements around that vital core were more multidimensional and less contrived.
- 40Village VoiceVillage VoiceThe duo's travels never gain a traction of their own, and the film's destination feels overdetermined despite its sweetness.
- 40The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThis is screenwriting by numbers. Unlike, say, Ken Loach’s marvelous “Bread and Roses,” Under the Same Moon is too busy sanctifying its protagonists and prodding our tear ducts to say anything remotely novel about immigration policies or their helpless victims.