75
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The GuardianJordan HoffmanThe GuardianJordan HoffmanThe Kindergarten Teacher is probably the only movie about poetry with an ending as tense as any thriller.
- 83IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichGyllenhaal has been too good too often to label any one of her performances as her best, but she’s certainly never been better than she is here.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyRippling with psychological complexity and sneaky humor, this is a rich character study that takes constantly surprising turns.
- 80New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaNew York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaLisa’s drive is more than biological; it’s intellectual and emotional, and that’s what keeps what often risks becoming camp madness in an identifiably human place — almost all the way to the end.
- 80Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonWriter-director Sara Colangelo’s intimate, slender drama withholds much about its main character, which allows Gyllenhaal to sketch the outline of a fractured soul.
- 75The PlaylistGregory EllwoodThe PlaylistGregory EllwoodColangelo’s adaptation continually feels like it’s missing something.... Luckily though, Collangelo has Gyllenhaal, who is exceptional at times here, to carry it through.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattEntertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattGyllenhaal, bright-eyed and brittle, brings her signature intensity to the role, though Lisa’s true inner world remains murky; it’s never quite clear if she’s just deeply unhappy or certifiably ill. Instead, the movie remains an intriguing but ambiguous portrait of a flawed, fascinating woman who knows herself either too well or not at all
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyColangelo (whose underrated 2014 first feature “Little Accidents” was about the aftermath of a fatal mining accident) has created a consistently interesting if slow-moving drama that works very well as a showcase for its lead performer.
- 67The A.V. ClubVikram MurthiThe A.V. ClubVikram MurthiIt’s just a shame that the edge-of-your-seat suspense negates The Kindergarten Teacher’s preceding psychological power.
- 58The Film StageDan MeccaThe Film StageDan MeccaWhile The Kindergarten Teacher ends at the perfect moment following an extremely strong final ten minutes, it’s ultimately a muddled experience. But then maybe that’s part of the point.