52
Metascore
29 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternOne of the many stylistic distinctions of this outwardly modest production is the complex voice that the filmmaker has found for his young hero.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenWith charm to spare, Valentin fuses nostalgia and humor in an episodic story whose ultimate focus is the birth of a writer.
- 63ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliAs a whole, Valentin is a moderately entertaining motion picture, but the lack of a satisfying sense of closure dims its appeal.
- 60Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. JonesAgresti has more on his mind than tugging at heartstrings.
- 58Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumAgresti fattens us up with the kind of kid's-eye-view tragi-comic adventures that regularly supply empty calories in artificially sweetened foreign-language imports.
- 50VarietyDeborah YoungVarietyDeborah YoungThe choice to have Valentin narrate the tale and make philosophical observations beyond his years becomes irritating at times; ditto the cartoon humor.
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceArgentinean director Alejandro Agresti's own specs are rose-colored. This loosely autobiographical tale feels inorganically upbeat, with all potentially upsetting material glossed over or truncated.
- 40The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsIt takes mere seconds for every charming moment to go from "Ahhh..." to "Aarrggh!"
- 40L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasIt's not that Noya is bad as kid actors go, but a pair of dewy, crossed eyes and a beyond-his-years melancholy do not an entire movie make.