68
Metascore
39 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenWolfe has made an admiring but nuanced feature that doesn’t aim for biopic completism or cause-and-effect formula.
- 80VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeDirected by George C. Wolfe with the same passion and conviction that defined its subject, Rustin reminds that the pursuit for equality has never been and should never be satisfied with the advancement of a single group.
- 80The Daily BeastNick SchagerThe Daily BeastNick SchagerFar from a stuffy history lesson, it’s a film that’s at once urgent, rousing, and alive.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyMaureen Lee LenkerEntertainment WeeklyMaureen Lee LenkerThe broader recognition of Rustin's efforts may be long overdue, but that doesn't mean a cinematic rendering of his life should feel as dated as our nation's own historical shortcomings.
- 70Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangLos Angeles TimesJustin ChangThe movie’s achievement is to remind us that milestones are invariably the result of hard, often thankless work, preceded by conflict and marked by compromise.
- 70Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonThe film can sometimes be dramatically simplistic, relying on perfunctory montages and creaky expositional dialogue, but Domingo ensures that Rustin is a layered and vibrant character, pushing Rustin to be bolder than it otherwise is.
- 62TheWrapTomris LafflyTheWrapTomris LafflySadly, Wolfe’s direction and the film’s overall visual palette fall flat when compared to Domingo’s mesmerizing performance as a tireless leader.
- 60The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeeIt’s when the script leans into the story’s specificities that the film is at its most compelling – when intersectionality causes ruptures within the group, when we see civil rights giants fail to understand the hypocrisy of their homophobic bigotry, how Rustin manages his queerness in public and in private – and these moments help to provide depth to some of the flatness that’s in the more standard-issue scenes.
- 58IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichWe can appreciate the righteous good of putting something like “Rustin” into the world at the same time as we lament how sorely the film lacks its namesake’s inspirational flair for defying convention.
- 50The PlaylistGregory EllwoodThe PlaylistGregory EllwoodThe film’s saving grace, as you’d expect, is Domingo. He conveys Ruskin’s inherent natural charisma so perfectly that no one will finish watching this film and wonder how such a flamboyant man became such a powerful figure in this homophobic era. Domingo’s performance makes you believe.