67
Metascore
37 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83The PlaylistGregory EllwoodThe PlaylistGregory EllwoodAt no point in Patti Cake$ is there ever a hint that Macdonald is unable to legitimately rap. She’s simply a revelation.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyGeremy Jasper’s dynamic debut crackles with energy and grassroots authenticity. But it wouldn’t have worked at all without the right leading lady, which it found in Danielle Macdonald, whose rapping seems convincingly born of her character’s rough life experience.
- 80Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganScreen DailyFionnuala HalliganDebut director Geremy Jasper has said Patti is part-modelled on his own life, and there’s a real empathy on display here for her internal and external struggles, a gift which Mcdonald makes the most of in her own debut.
- 80VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeIn the end, it’s the ensemble’s collective attitude, plus the palpable chemistry between Patti and her friends, that defines the experience, not the stock desire to be discovered. Though if Patti Cake$ really did exist, this movie would certainly make her star.
- 63Slant MagazineElise NakhnikianSlant MagazineElise NakhnikianThe obstacles and opportunities that Patti encounters are often rote, but her struggles and triumphs are detailed with a gravity that honors and elucidates her feelings.
- 50ConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerPatti Cake$ is a rags-to-riches story that too often comes off as a carbon copy of other, similar rags-to-riches stories.
- 50The Film StageJordan RaupThe Film StageJordan RaupWhile there’s an infectious energy to the process of musical creation and an impressive lead performance from newcomer Danielle MacDonald, the feature debut of Geremy Jasper is ultimately hindered by predictable story beats and a cynical outlook at the world it’s capturing.
- 40The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeePatti Cake$ is by no means a hopelessly bad movie, it’s just hampered by its desperate need to be a crowd-pleaser.
- 40The New YorkerRichard BrodyThe New YorkerRichard BrodyJasper hits every note of sentimental manipulation in a tale that’s as fleetingly affecting as it is insubstantial and mechanical.