51
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenWriter-director Simon Aboud doesn’t push the quirk factor; even when the narrative is at its most playful, he keeps it rooted to a lived-in reality. Mining familiar territory with an earnest clarity, he shapes a mild yet winning fantasy about hearts opening and friendships blooming.
- 70The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThe New York TimesNeil GenzlingerEnjoyable performances keep the tale from becoming too heavy-handed.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreFindlay and Scott don’t force their charm on us, Wilkinson makes the aphorisms, anecdotes and literary quotations poetic and warm. So much of it takes place in the flowers and brambles of a garden that the movie smells like spring.
- 63Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanDepending on how you take your twee — sparingly or, as is the case in this preciously concocted tale of English misfits, slathered like marmalade over a crumpet — it will either delight or quickly cloy.
- 50VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyEverything about “Fantastic” is designed to charm, and its success in that respect will depend upon the viewer’s susceptibility to cuteness and contrivance ladled on with some proficiency but no subtlety whatsoever.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoSan Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoFar too precious and eager to please to really deserve its self-description as a fairy tale.
- 40Village VoiceKristen Yoonsoo KimVillage VoiceKristen Yoonsoo KimThere is such a thing as too sweet, and after this film, you'll feel a toothache coming on.
- 40Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshLos Angeles TimesKatie WalshThe friendship lessons are sweet enough, but such a low-stakes story strains one’s patience for such affected cinematic style.
- 38RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyRogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyThis Beautiful Fantastic is not meant to be realistic. It's supposed to be a fairy tale. That's fine, but it's a very low-stakes fairy tale, wrapped in a strained garden metaphor.