65
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Washington PostWashington PostThe documentary also reveals the sisters’ almost symbiotic closeness. They live together most of the year, cook together, do karaoke together and joke about how difficult it would be if one chose to get married.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranThis is a story as involving as you'd imagine it would be.
- 75McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMcClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreThe fact that Serena, ranked number one again this year — the oldest woman (31) ever so ranked — means that their story isn’t over, and that if a skeptic wants to finally appreciate their historic impact on the game, he or she still has time to come around.
- 75The PlaylistKimber MyersThe PlaylistKimber MyersVenus and Serena wins points for sharing an intimate, not-always-flattering view of the sisters that isn’t PR-friendly.
- 70Village VoiceErnest HardyVillage VoiceErnest HardyWhat Venus and Serena does extraordinarily well is capture the work ethic and undersung smarts of the sisters while taking viewers deep into their enviably close relationship.
- 70NPRElla TaylorNPRElla TaylorMe, I wanted to know what these two remarkable young women will obsess about once the whole world has stopped watching, whether they will always be together — and what it would really feel like to be one of their much less famous siblings. We'll probably never know, except in someone else's future fiction feature.
- 67The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloWhat comes across most strongly is the genuine, overpowering love these two women have for each other, even when they’re in direct competition.
- 60Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearYou’ll learn that karaoke is an effective rehab tool; that their dad, Richard, the film’s real hero, molded his daughters into fierce competitors; and that Venus and Serena actually do love each other. Anyone looking for deeper insights than that or into what really makes this twosome tick will find themselves at a real disadvantage.
- 60The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottThink of this movie as a greatest-hits package, with some good stuff to show but nothing very new to say.
- 50Slant MagazineEd GonzalezSlant MagazineEd GonzalezOpting for inspiration over insight, Venus and Serena is a starry-eyed pop documentary that cannot transcend its scattershot, for-fans-only filmmaking.