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Daddy Longlegs
Metascore
74 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    88
    I don't know if what the Safdies endured growing up was akin to what audiences experience in Daddy Longlegs. But I'm very glad they survived to make a very good film about it.
  2. NPR
    Reviewed by: Bob Mondello
    80
    The Safdies filmed with handheld cameras, an obvious affection for New York and its denizens, and a script that includes so much structured improvisation that it's hard to imagine any of the dialogue was actually written down. Not surprisingly, the result is a character study with an almost documentary feel to it.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    80
    At its best, this beautiful, off-the-cuff comedy-drama recalls John Cassavetes' shaggiest, most honest work.
  4. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Aaron Hillis
    80
    The real treasure, however, is Bronstein, whose charismatically loopy, caffeinated performance carries an air of suspense: Can he keep his kids out of harm's way? Will his clownish antics suddenly turn toxic? Is it simply a matter of when?
  5. Boxoffice Magazine
    Reviewed by: Steve Ramos
    80
    Daddy Longlegs is a discovery destined for year-end top ten critics lists and comparisons to classics like Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves" are expected. Hopefully, Daddy Longlegs will also introduce the Safdie brothers to the larger audiences they deserve.
  6. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    80
    A funny, fantastic, genuinely alarming quasi-autobiographical cheapster by twentysomething New York brothers Josh and Benny Safdie.
  7. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    80
    He (Lenny) is completely appalling, and also completely himself, a kind of mad, disturbing integrity that is both matched and mitigated by the honesty of this lovely, hair-raising film.
  8. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    80
    Ronald Bronstein, who wrote and directed the disquieting indie Frownland, steps in front of the cameras for this similarly lo-fi drama, and his loose-limbed performance as the brash, irresponsible father of two young boys establishes him as a genuine triple threat.
  9. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    Bronstein's performance is crucial. It's difficult to make a manic character plausible, but he does.
  10. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Walter Addiego
    75
    The film's grungy, ultra-low-budget look, thanks to the Safdie's handheld camera, is just right for catching the crummy, hardscrabble, rat-infested milieu.
  11. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Stan Hall
    75
    Takes a little while to find its way but becomes steadily more compelling as Lenny's character and considerable issues come into focus.
  12. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    63
    Has a certain dark charm if you can put up with very jittery camera work and editing.
  13. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Mark Feeney
    63
    Any normal mother or father, seeing how the movie's protagonist, Lenny, ostensibly supervises his two sons (Sage and Frey Ranaldo), is likely to suffer cardiac arrest.
  14. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    63
    Like other so-called "mumblecore" movies, including Bronstein's own "Frownland," this is an unnervingly intimate glimpse of dysfunction, with a shaky-cam aesthetic and seemingly improvised dialogue.
  15. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    58
    A disconcertingly jumpy tale of breathtakingly crummy parenting, the windblown movie dares a tolerant audience not to call Child Services.
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