Esther Zuckerman

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IndieWire, The A.V. Club, The Daily Beast, The New York Times, Vox
For 52 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 59% higher than the average critic
  • 1% same as the average critic
  • 40% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 5.3 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Esther Zuckerman's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 71
Highest review score: 100 Sentimental Value
Lowest review score: 25 Glenrothan
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 52
  3. Negative: 2 out of 52
52 movie reviews
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    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Esther Zuckerman
    Emilia Pérez
    Emilia Perez wins you over by being unabashedly sincere. It takes its mission in all of its various genres—musical, crime thriller, and soap opera—seriously thanks to the committed performances and Audiard’s expressive direction. Nothing is treated as a gag despite the inherent zaniness of the performances. Ultimately, it’s really earnest, above all else.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Esther Zuckerman
    Oh, Canada
    Oh, Canada can be a clunky film at times—with some awkward performances and labored dialogue—but it’s also an often fascinating match of director and actor, in which both seem to be trying to exorcize the demons of aging through art.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 67 Esther Zuckerman
    Wild Diamond
    The screenplay itself fails to get inside Liane’s head as much as Khebizi and the film’s visual style do. You leave feeling like you only scratched the surface of who Liane is. You want more for her as much as she wants more from her small life.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 40 Esther Zuckerman
    Megalopolis
    Megalopolis is the kind of thing that has to be seen to be believed. Many will find it uproarious, others may locate some profundity, most will have to shake their heads. Whatever it is, it’s a lot.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 90 Esther Zuckerman
    Kinds of Kindness
    It’s a movie that laughs in the face of a happy ending, refusing to let you get too comfortable. It is evil in the best way.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Esther Zuckerman
    Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
    It harkens back to the more sprawling nature of the original Mad Max films, but it’s also a spiritual work that grapples with how humanity reacts to grief and loss— whether sorrow perverts you or makes you stronger—all while delivering on the visual spectacle you could hope for from Miller.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 91 Esther Zuckerman
    Sugarcane
    Sugarcane doesn’t force conclusions that aren’t there. Instead, it lets the empty parts of the saga linger so the ghosts of what transpired feel present. It means, ultimately, that ‘Sugarcane’ is something more meaningful than a mere history lesson. It’s a portrait of what remains when injustice occurs.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Esther Zuckerman
    Little Death
    There’s a perplexing choice at the heart of Little Death, directed by Jack Begert, best known for his work in music videos. That choice is essentially to make two very different movies and smash them together.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 58 Esther Zuckerman
    Skywalkers: A Love Story
    "Skywalkers” also seems to gloss over too much. It never fully probes the mental state that drives someone to do this kind of thing in the first place, instead dealing with the squabbles that nearly wreck their union.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 75 Esther Zuckerman
    In the Summers
    In the Summers is brimming full of its characters’ internal aches rendered elegantly across time.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 58 Esther Zuckerman
    Suncoast
    It’s a movie that seems all too aware that life is hard, but desperately wants to simplify it. In doing that, it does a disservice to its own ideas.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 Esther Zuckerman
    Wonka
    It’s a worthy bit of holiday entertainment, the kind of movie that hits just right in these winter months. It’s sweet but not too treacly, not quite as perfect as Paddington 2 (what is?) but it does the trick.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 83 Esther Zuckerman
    Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé
    The movie — and maybe Beyoncé’s life — is a constant negotiation between giving viewers that perfect show they crave and these moments of spontaneity. “Renaissance” as a whole sometimes struggles to find that balance, as it moves through all of its different and equally intriguing ideas. But maybe that’s the point.
    • 44 Metascore
    • 50 Esther Zuckerman
    Next Goal Wins
    Next Goal Wins is largely a misfire, one that’s too unwilling to stop kidding around for even the most important of moments.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 42 Esther Zuckerman
    Knox Goes Away
    Ultimately, one just gets the sense that “Knox Goes Away” is unsure of what it’s supposed to be. On one hand, it leans into the chillingly gruesome; on the other, it wants to laugh at the grimness of its own scenarios.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 100 Esther Zuckerman
    Janet Planet
    There is nothing artificial here, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t mystery. It’s the mystery of people and their unusual behaviors and the way they can flit in and out of our lives and our consciousness.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 50 Esther Zuckerman
    Homecoming
    The result is a movie that registers as slight by its end, despite the talent found within its confines. What is nonetheless evident, however, is that Bemba and Gohourou are worth watching as they go forward in their careers.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 83 Esther Zuckerman
    The Goldman Case
    Kahn uses the simplicity of his movie’s structure — the action rarely leaves the courtroom — to underline the complexity of the circumstances and the prickly figure at its center, Goldman himself, played excellently by Belgian actor Arieh Worthalter, who gives his character the fervor that apparently made him a figurehead in his day.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Esther Zuckerman
    Wild Life
    Where Wild Life could have been a nuanced look into how wealth and ecology collide, instead it’s merely just a celebration of these rich people doing the “right thing” with their money. But who really pays?
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Esther Zuckerman
    Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
    Fox is nothing if not a likable figure, and he and Guggenheim have crafted a likable film about both his suffering and resilience without turning him into a martyr. It’s not without some of the conventional beats of a star-driven documentary, but it also refuses to turn maudlin when it so easily could.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 58 Esther Zuckerman
    Wakefield
    It’s a tale of what happens when male inadequacy runs rampant, starring a committed Bryan Cranston, but it’s ultimately hamstrung by its overwrought sensibilities.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Esther Zuckerman
    Manifesto
    Each of Blanchett’s characters exists in a complete environment, and Rosefeldt’s camera is keen to reveal the gags and treasures contained within each.
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