71
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasA gorgeous film with a vision strong enough to sustain heart-tugging, heightened by San Bao's romantic score, that verges on the sentimental.
- 90Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternThe result is an enchanting story of love from an idealized past that endures in the mundane present.
- 90Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonA beautifully textured, disarmingly simple movie about romantic devotion.
- 75Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittHas a graceful simplicity that many will find hard to resist.
- 75USA TodayMike ClarkUSA TodayMike ClarkIt's a sweet tale, but the movie's real subject is Zhang, the camera's muse that the lens adores.
- 75Boston GlobeJay CarrBoston GlobeJay CarrAs luminous as the star presence at its center. It's at once a touching teacher movie and an even more touching love story.
- 50New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerNew York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerPredictable, not so much from his (Zhang Yimou) previous movies as from the work of the many sentimentalists who have already plowed this well-tilled turf.
- 40Village VoiceJessica WinterVillage VoiceJessica WinterThe Road Home is foremost enthralled, however, with its lead actress -- wide-eyed and pigtailed, revered in close-up after stunned close-up.
- 40New Times (L.A.)Andy KleinNew Times (L.A.)Andy KleinSad to say, the story is simply too slight to sustain the film.