69
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisA movie in which the human comedy is by turns tender, plaintive, heartfelt and joyful.
- 80Village VoiceSerena DonadoniVillage VoiceSerena DonadoniHirayanagi acknowledges that reinvention isn’t as simple as trading Setsuko’s messy stagnation for Lucy’s zany possibility. What Setsuko fears most is losing everything, but that may be her best option.
- 70Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangLos Angeles TimesJustin ChangWithin the confines of this cross-cultural shaggy-dog tale, Hirayanagi locates both a sharp vein of absurdist comedy and a bitter, melancholy undertow. She also has a deft enough touch to make one mode almost indistinguishable from the other.
- There’s pleasingly little sentimentality and much honesty to be found in Hirayanagi’s screenplay, particularly in its acknowledgement that new experiences can make you lose, as much as broaden, your mind.
- 70VarietyAndrew BarkerVarietyAndrew BarkerMost of Oh Lucy! passes by breezily, and in different hands this could easily be a crowdpleasing comedy...but when Hirayanagi opts to plunge deeper, you realize the darkness has been there waiting all along.
- 67Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerSetsuko’s pathetic attempt to claim a new life for herself is touching. The film never makes fun of her.
- 63Slant MagazinePeter GoldbergSlant MagazinePeter GoldbergAtsuko Hirayanagi's feature-length directorial debut offers a surprising take on the tricky art of communication.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreOh Lucy! is a slight comedy of offbeat, culture clash charms with a dark, flinty edge. It benefits from spot-on casting, testy-funny situations and cultural stereotypes that well up just below the surface, stereotypes popped almost the moment they’re exposed.
- 60The GuardianXan BrooksThe GuardianXan BrooksOh Lucy!’s plot feels overthought. The tone see-saws wildly. What prevents it collapsing are the warm, heartfelt performances, together with Hirayanagi’s obvious affection for her chief protagonist.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyWhile it's uneven, and at times seems almost artless in its craft, the story has an idiosyncratic charm that pays off in an unexpectedly touching ending.