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Antwone Fisher
Metascore
62 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 32
  3. Negative: 2 out of 32
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    Antwone Fisher has a confrontation with his past, and a speech to the mother who abandoned him, and a reunion with his family, that create great, heartbreaking, joyous moments.
  2. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Mark Caro
    88
    Washington, typically, is rock-solid in front of the camera, conveying ample warmth and sympathy. Behind the camera, he's a relatively straightforward storyteller, strategic in his use of lyrical touches.
  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    88
    Emotionally honest, feel-good saga with a universality that stands out in a season of singularly depressing and cynical Hollywood product.
  4. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    88
    A deceptively simple movie with a deeply felt message.
  5. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    83
    Washington brings it off with an unforced and well-earned emotional wallop, and whose strong hand, keen eye, sweet spirit and good taste are reflected in almost every scene.
  6. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ernest Hardy
    80
    The film offers an impressive melding of quietly radical images and ideas with, yes, an old-fashioned, crowd-pleasing holiday tearjerker.
  7. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    80
    An assured directorial debut that goes straight for the tear ducts.
    All this critic's reviews
  8. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    80
    Blessedly free of the self-righteous histrionics and sentimentality that so often cheapen powerful personal stories.
  9. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    75
    The uniformly fine performances are a tribute to Washington, who plays the shrink with his customary command.
  10. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    75
    The rare sort of movie that gives predictability a good name.
  11. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    75
    Corny. But it's corny in a way that a Hollywood movie about a boy who just wants to go home ought to be corny. Plus when it's done with this much care, corny works for me.
  12. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    75
    There are a few occasions when Antwone Fisher crosses the line to become too syrupy -- For the most part, however, the production radiates emotional honesty.
  13. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Chris Kaltenbach
    75
    A good film that, with a little extra care, could have been great.
  14. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    75
    Intense but dignified.
  15. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    70
    Rarest and most impressive of all, Antwone Fisher is a serious drama set in the African American community, one that showcases powerful, confrontational scenes between black actors.
  16. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    70
    A movie so profoundly in touch with its own feelings that it transcends its formulaic tics.
  17. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    67
    If treats like this are evidence of Washington's special gifts as a filmmaker, Antwone Fisher promises great things for the future.
  18. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    67
    With all its pedestrian moments, the film still has the power to sweep you up.
  19. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    63
    A safety-first, tried-and-true inspirational story that stays the course right down to its "It's a Wonderful Life" ending.
  20. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Steve Simels
    60
    But there's a vaguely self-congratulatory tone to the screenplay that's a bit off-putting.
  21. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    60
    Should be remembered for a pair of performers -- Derek Luke and Viola Davis, whose cameo as the mother who abandoned him cuts through the sap like an acetylene torch.
  22. Variety
    Reviewed by: Eddie Cockrell
    60
    Washington reveals himself to be a filmmaker with a clean, uncluttered storytelling style. Too often, overtly inspirational material such as this can become strident or mawkish.
  23. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    60
    Affecting but formulaic.
    All this critic's reviews
  24. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    60
    Denzel Washington's directorial debut reminds me of a 60s British movie called "The Mark": it's liberal minded, heartwarming, sincere, and consequently somewhat old-fashioned and stodgy.
  25. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    50
    Although it's touching and sincere, Washington's directorial debut is weakened by a too-slow pace and a story that offers few real surprises.
  26. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    50
    Has warmth and integrity, but it lacks the urgency of a story that had to be told.
  27. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    50
    This is the brand of sentimentality that comes with a high concentration of saccharine and every taste of bitterness safely removed.
  28. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Rick Kisonak
    50
    A competently calibrated feel-good machine. It's as effective as anything on The Lifetime Channel. Which is likely where this project would have wound up were it not for the involvement of Washington.
  29. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Charles Taylor
    50
    There's nothing in either the conception or execution to lift it above a TV-movie tear-jerker.
  30. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Luke Y. Thompson
    50
    In the hands of lesser mortals, this would add up to perhaps the worst movie of the year. In the hands of Denzel Washington, it manages to work magic on some who might not tolerate such shenanigans from, say, Chris Columbus.
  31. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    30
    Washington directs with proficient blandness charged only occasionally by organic acting moments.
  32. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    20
    Directed without a shred of imagination by Denzel Washington -- Antwone Fisher masks a behind-the-scenes story that's far more inspiring than the phony uplift that makes it onto the screen.
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.7 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 49 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 35
  3. Negative: 3 out of 35
  1. Alexander_Fred
    5
    The first 80 minutes of the film are bland and boring filled with lackluster performances. It seems even Denzel Washington becomes so distracted by directing that he forgets how to act. Watching this film would make you wonder how he ever won an Oscar. Unfortunately his directing doesn't improve as a result of his over-focus: The cameras angles are all over the place, the cinematography needs some real work, and the actors seem to eager to close scenes and become cliches of themselves. It is only during the final moments of the film that the acting becomes truly dynamic, the camera angles become better used, and with the help of the the score and editing these final moment become emotionally impactful. It seems that the film does what few films are capable of: Creating an ending that almost forces the viewer to forget about all of the tired cliches used in the rest of the film. Unfortunately, the ending is still not capable of forcing all the sleep from our eyes and thus at this point, the film stands as only slightly above average. But any effort to call it more than average suddenly fails when it is realized that Fisher's biopic tale is made of misinformation and deceit throughout.… Full Review »
  2. TimJ.
    10
    This movie was amazing.
  3. LiviK.
    9
    I great movie, about finding yourself though others. And changing your view on life.
See all user reviews »