72
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesHelen T. VerongosThe New York TimesHelen T. VerongosFor everyone who ever had a close call as an adolescent and kept it from the grown-ups, King Jack will hit you where you live. The same for everyone who’s been pummeled by a bully or been left vulnerable by releasing a graphic selfie into the textosphere.
- 80Time Out LondonKate LloydTime Out LondonKate LloydWith references to sexting and a hazy Instagram-filtered look, it would be easy to write ‘King Jack’ off as just another modern coming-of-age-story. What sets the movie apart though, is its ability to capture the fear of teenage-hood, without patronising its characters.
- 80EmpireDavid ParkinsonEmpireDavid ParkinsonAn atmospheric rite of passage that suggests big things lie ahead for its writer-director and young cast.
- 75Slant MagazineSlant MagazineHarsh punishments are dished out in a way that jolts the material away from coming-of-age cliché.
- 75IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichKing Jack, while unabashedly a coming-of-age story, is even better as a portrait of masculinity in crisis, of how its passed down from one generation to the next, and how that process might best be interrupted.
- 75The Film StageJohn FinkThe Film StageJohn FinkAn impressive debut feature from Felix Thompson, King Jack is a powerful day-in-the-life drama.
- 70Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganScreen DailyFionnuala HalliganIt’s authentic without being grim; moody and tentatively hopeful. There’s a British verite influence at play, but King Jack’s heart is positively American.
- 70VarietyGuy LodgeVarietyGuy LodgeThompson and his appealing young cast enliven the material with authentic, ingenuous feeling; there’s a palpable understanding here of the substantial difficulties involved in growing up under any circumstances, and Thompson’s script never condescends to its teen subjects with dewy-eyed nostalgia for youth.
- 70Village VoiceKenji FujishimaVillage VoiceKenji FujishimaThis is thankfully no wallow in working-class miserablism.
- 67The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloRich detail and strong performances do battle with coming-of-age clichés in King Jack, an indie drama that winds up feeling overly beholden to the dictates of various screenwriting manuals.