62
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsChicago TribuneMichael PhillipsThe Photograph treats all its characters with some decency and understanding, in a genre where straw villains and cardboard adversaries typically run rampant. The plaintive, jazz-inflected musical score by Robert Glasper establishes the right vibe and level of drama, which is to say: more like life and less like the movies.
- 70TheWrapCandice FrederickTheWrapCandice FrederickThough it’s an intoxicating blend of modern and vintage romance, The Photograph, while flawed, is most intriguing when it peels back the layers between a mother and daughter who never really knew each other in life, but whose stories eventually intertwine in ways they could have never imagined.
- 70Screen RantMolly FreemanScreen RantMolly FreemanMoviegoers looking for something romantic and entertaining to catch on Valentine's Day weekend (or even later on in February) won't go wrong with The Photograph.
- 70VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanIt’s a looser, warmer, and more meditative romance, one that takes its time by giving its actors room to breathe.
- 70Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonAlthough the film sometimes dips into muddled melodrama, those occasional setbacks can’t derail a story filled with warm, resonant characters trying to fathom their own hearts.
- 67IndieWireKate ErblandIndieWireKate ErblandIf only the story that surrounded it was as strong and well-crafted as the locales and people who populate it, The Photograph would be more than worthy of affection. As it stands, it just never quite develops into anything more.
- 67The A.V. ClubCaroline SiedeThe A.V. ClubCaroline SiedeAcross just a handful of scenes, [Rob] Morgan emerges as the soul of the film. It’s a testament to how much the right actor can do with even the briefest screentime—and a call to give Morgan a starring role worthy of him.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreIn the end, it’s up to Rae (“Insecure”), at her most glamorous, and Stanfield (“Knives Out”) at his most romantic to put this over. And as they do, The Photograph develops into something rare in the movies this and most Valentine’s Days — a romance that feels romantic.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterBeandrea JulyThe Hollywood ReporterBeandrea JulyThe Photograph is a romance-heavy star vehicle for Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield that’s deeply flawed but both sexy and thoughtful. Writer-director Stella Meghie’s fourth feature (after The Weekend, Everything Everything, Jean of the Joneses), thick and multi-layered with a lush and precise visual language, invites the audience to look beneath the surface of a standard meet-cute.
- 40The GuardianAdrian HortonThe GuardianAdrian HortonIssa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield can’t save this dreary Valentine’s drama that lacks fizzle and emotional stakes.