A Brilliant Young Mind
Samuel Goldwyn Films | Release Date: September 11, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
6
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranSep 10, 2015
A Brilliant Young Mind doesn't fit into any familiar inspirational box. Many of its characters are complex, contrary individuals who are not even close to being comfortable in their own skins, and this film refuses to shortchange how frustratingly edgy and difficult they are to interact with. Read full review
90
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlSep 8, 2015
The film is novel-rich, so bristling with life that you might not notice how familiar it is in its contours. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerSep 11, 2015
The film, refreshingly, is less concerned with how Nathan performs in the competition than in how he navigates his way through the bramble of human interactions leading up to it. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen HoldenSep 10, 2015
This warm, robust movie ultimately transcends the formulas with which it flirts to become a far more subtle and honest result than a machine-tooled tear-jerker like “The Theory of Everything.” When the film doesn’t try to build up the usual suspense found in movies about competition, you sigh with relief. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonDave CalhounJul 30, 2015
As filmmaking, X+Y is unassuming and not entirely remarkable, but the relationships play so sweetly and memorably. Read full review
80
Total FilmJames MottramJul 30, 2015
With A+ acting, a solid script and sensitive handling, there’s enough here to move even the hardest of souls. Read full review
80
The TelegraphTim RobeyJul 30, 2015
The film’s magic is how it slips the skin of sappy and mendacious formula, stepping away from cliché scene by scene, and in quietly revelatory ways. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperSep 22, 2015
The last act of A Brilliant Young Mind is undeniably moving but not entirely believable and a little too neat and clean. Still, long after you’ve seen the film, you’ll remember the wonderfully nuanced work of the cast. Read full review
70
VarietyJoe LeydonJul 30, 2015
Matthews’ background as a documentarian is obvious and beneficial. But Matthews also demonstrates expertise as a director of actors, getting creditable performances across the board. Read full review
67
The PlaylistNikola GrozdanovicJul 30, 2015
Without the performances and splash of style as support, the film would collapse, because the story is indisputably boxed inside a square of standard dimensions. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 8, 2015
Butterfield is quite good, the other kids well-matched and Spall, Hawkins and Marsan terrific in support. That adds up to a picture well-worth your time. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierSep 10, 2015
The success here is mostly due to nuanced performances and an appreciation for what these kinds of films require. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawJul 30, 2015
This is an attractively unparochial drama with a bracing interest in excellence. Read full review
60
EmpireWill LawrenceJul 30, 2015
Familiar formula yet Morgan Matthews’ feature debut adds up to a satisfying whole. Read full review
50
Washington PostMark JenkinsSep 17, 2015
A Brilliant Young Mind is less stuffy than the usual cinematic ode to British smarts and schooling. But that still can’t save this tale of eccentric genius from being profoundly conventional. Read full review
50
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeSep 10, 2015
There’s a nice candor and sweetness about the players, especially Butterfield and Sally Hawkins as his mother. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubNoel MurraySep 9, 2015
At times plays like a case study more than a drama. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireSep 11, 2015
Of the many things that make A Brilliant Young Mind unsatisfying, arguably the most salient is that the assertion of its title defies dramatization. Nathan is brilliant? Well, if he were a footballer or a spelling-bee champ, we could see his skill as it evolved and played out. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineElise NakhnikianSep 7, 2015
The film focuses on Nathan's emotions and backstage dramas in ways that generally feel forced or inauthentic. Read full review
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