Where Do We Go Now?
Metascore
60 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 25 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    May 17, 2012
    63
    The movie is never quite bold enough to point out the contradiction of Muslims and Christians hating one another, even though they both in theory worship the same god.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    May 9, 2012
    58
    The movie gets mired in these deceptive mechanics. It shows no curiosity about the hatred, so the characters seem less than whole.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    May 10, 2012
    80
    While the schemes occasionally seem strained, their desperate determination is never less than compelling.
  4. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    May 10, 2012
    70
    At heart, this jolly, galumphing crowd-pleaser, which won the audience award at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, is a raucous sitcom about scrappy little boys whose canny mamas conspire to keep them out of trouble.
  5. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    May 24, 2012
    75
    Where Do We Go Now? has a heart and an anger to offset its structural fuzziness. It's refreshingly open-minded about faith, too.
  6. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    May 10, 2012
    50
    An absurdist fantasy on a solemn theme, Where Do We Go Now? suffers from a serious clash of styles, but it's also brave and startlingly funny - at one point verging on "Mamma Mia!" - when it isn't bleak or shocking.
  7. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    May 31, 2012
    63
    Casting herself (as the proprietor of the local cafe) along with a mix of professional and nonprofessional actors, Labaki tries to get across her give-peace-a-chance message with humor, with song, with melodrama.
  8. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    Jul 26, 2012
    88
    It's an approachable film that handles a serious topic deftly and offers a fresh take on a familiar subject.
  9. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    Aug 15, 2012
    50
    It's a "what if" story that's hopeful but doesn't ring true.
  10. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    May 25, 2012
    75
    So the interrogative title is left to hover over the ending, as it does over all those tension-filled places near and far. Speaking as a foolish man, I had high hopes for these wise women – given the historic alternative, I still do.
  11. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    Jun 22, 2012
    75
    With elements of a musical, a melodrama and a multicultural romance, Where Do We Go Now? is as hard to define as the crossroads region where it's set. But even without a clear signal, it sometimes seems miraculous.
  12. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Keith Uhlich
    May 8, 2012
    40
    By the time the film takes a glib turn into role-switching farce - as Muslims become Christians and Christians become Muslims - the overall toothlessness of the satire becomes damningly apparent.
  13. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Tasha Robinson
    May 9, 2012
    91
    What the film lacks in specificity and interest in taking sides, it makes up for in style, authentic emotion, and terrific performances.
  14. Movieline
    Reviewed by: Stephanie Zacharek
    May 10, 2012
    60
    Its occasional entertainment value aside, the picture is also blithe to the point of being flimsy.
  15. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Walter Addiego
    May 18, 2012
    50
    By the time the women pull off their climactic stunt, the film's been undone by its ungainly mix of heavy-handed comedy and melodrama.
  16. Time
    Reviewed by: Mary Pols
    May 10, 2012
    70
    Could women stop war through the sedation of sex and drugs and a plot to bury every weapon in their community? Labaki has said she knows Where Do We Go Now? is a fantasy. But it's a good one, and this lovely film seems pertinent far beyond the landscape of the Middle East.
  17. NPR
    Reviewed by: Mark Jenkins
    May 11, 2012
    55
    It's the sort of well-meaning fable that's ultimately more admirable than persuasive.
  18. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Nick Schager
    May 8, 2012
    50
    Nadine Labaki's film awkwardly hybridizes somber politizized drama with regional humor in the style of "Waking Ned Devine" and "Calendar Girls."
  19. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Stan Hall
    Jul 12, 2012
    67
    The actual differences between Christians and Muslims are largely arbitrary, even irrelevant, so isn't it absurd to kill each other over how each group relates to God?
  20. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Barbara VanDenburgh
    Jun 14, 2012
    60
    It is, at times, a charming reprieve from the usually dour cinematic explorations of Middle Eastern conflicts. But big-hearted and well-intentioned as the film is, it's frequently undone by its own silliness.
  21. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Bilge Ebiri
    May 11, 2012
    70
    Although the film's why-can't-we-all-get-along story line and even some of its quirk-laden pit stops feel familiar, the very texture of what we're seeing seems to change from one moment to the next, resulting in an occasionally breathtaking uncertainty.
  22. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Farran Smith Nehme
    May 11, 2012
    63
    It's a hodgepodge of subplots and wildly disparate tones that even Federico Fellini (to whose "Amarcord" Labaki also owes a debt) might have had trouble controlling.
  23. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mark Olsen
    May 10, 2012
    50
    The film aims to be a gentle comedy (there are even some songs approaching musical numbers) with serious undercurrents. It stumbles most when reaching for its bigger themes.
  24. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Alison Willmore
    May 8, 2012
    40
    Like the hashish-laced pastries the ladies make to sedate the male population, the film feels like it has been dosed with sugar to mask its distressingly bitter taste.
  25. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: David Rooney
    May 8, 2012
    60
    The film's blend of pathos, broad comedy and the occasional musical number is a little lumpy. But with sectarian violence continuing to scar the globe, its light tone provides a refreshing response.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.5 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. HaithamBayazeed
    10
    "Where do we go now?" is a movie that how much you would be entertained in, you can't explain it, I have nothing to say except 10 out of 10 is not enough!… Full Review »
  2. knorbi
    9
    In the beginning it seems you are watching an adaptation Romeo and Juliet. Having a plot that focuses on a main issue,
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