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Praying with Lior
Metascore
68 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    88
    Apart from its intriguing religious implications, the film is also a compelling look at the family, community and congregational pillars that support Lior.
  2. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Maureen M. Hart
    75
    Trachtman says she made the film to illustrate the plight of disabled Americans who must contend with houses of worship that lack handicapped access, but her documentary itself isn't always so sensitive.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    75
    Though the film gets a bit repetitive, in its moving climax Lior does more than just have his bar mitzvah -- he earns it.
  4. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    75
    Intimate, moving documentary.
  5. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    70
    Praying With Lior engages us on so many levels it transcends its middle-class Jewish milieu.
  6. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Jeannette Catsoulis
    70
    Patiently and delicately, Ms. Trachtman teases out the tricky dynamics of a family dealing with a disabled child.
  7. Variety
    Reviewed by: Dennis Harvey
    70
    What makes this involving beyond its subject's slightly freakish fascination is helmer Ilana Trachtman's capturing of a complex family dynamic in which Lior isn't the only intriguing personality.
  8. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Andrea Gronvall
    70
    Lior is an irrepressible character as he works a room, doing exactly what a bar mitzvah boy should: challenging, instructing, and, in his own way, healing the world.
  9. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    63
    Trachtman's gentle profile does make for touching viewing, but she leaves too many questions unanswered.
  10. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    63
    Thoroughly heartfelt. But though Trachtman alludes to the impact that Lior's special needs and local fame has had on his family, she seems uninterested in exploring the larger history of beliefs and traditions concerning mentally challenged people and their closeness to God.
  11. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Janice Page
    63
    There's an honest, unfiltered quality to what you see and hear.
  12. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Julia Wallace
    60
    Trachtman's movie is not technically accomplished--the camerawork is run-of-the-mill, the structure is rambling--but it's redeemed by the deliciously complex, practically Balzac-ian family at its center.
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