80
Metascore
29 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100EmpireWill LawrenceEmpireWill LawrenceA heartfelt, wry and decidedly spry film.
- 88New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoA modest and charming comedy from Israel.
- 88TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxA remote, Israeli desert town is the setting for this droll, endearing comedy about an accidental cultural exchange that very quietly says some very important things about contemporary Arab-Israeli relations.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranBoth sweet-natured and sharply pointed, a film whose poignant, emotional effects and subtle acting sneak up on you.
- 80SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirHas an irresistible tragic and romantic undertow.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterA "little" film with a great reach.
- 70The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisMr. Kolirin, it emerges, is wrenching comedy out of intense melancholia.
- 70VarietyVarietyA warm and delightful take on cross-cultural relations that proves that sometimes a light touch is just what's needed to address serious topics.
- 70L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasI’d be lying if I said that The Band’s Visit isn’t touching and uplifting and all those other audience-friendly emotions against which film critics are believed to religiously steel themselves. But in a season rife with movies (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Grace Is Gone, The Kite Runner, et al.) that aggressively pry open viewers’ chest cavities and yank on their heartstrings, Kolirin’s film is the only one that plucks at them gently, tickling the funny bone as it goes.
- 70The New YorkerAnthony LaneThe New YorkerAnthony LaneAs the film concludes with his upraised hand, conductor’s fingers unfurling against a blue sky, you do feel that you have witnessed a small victory of wisdom over indifference and ennui. When in doubt, strike up the band.