Ali & Ava
Greenwich Entertainment | Release Date: July 29, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
CineVueClara Bradbury-RanceMar 2, 2022
This is a film about the ordinariness of love. Read full review
91
ColliderEmily BernardJul 28, 2022
Barnard smoothly dovetails the lighter moments with the dark and makes sure to not skirt the traumatic moments in Ali and Ava’s marriages. Akhtar and Rushbrook handle these intense character revelations like pros, never feeling the need to veer into melodrama. Read full review
91
IndieWireJude DrySep 15, 2021
Barnard once again proves herself the bard of the British working class. In Ali & Ava, she abandons her occasionally bleak realism for a kind of stubborn hopefulness, letting the delight of unexpected connection break through the storm clouds. Read full review
88
ObserverEmily ZemlerJul 28, 2022
Ali & Ava is a gentle, emotionally-charged drama that doesn’t placate the viewer with unrealistic ideas about love. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineJake ColeSep 11, 2021
Ali & Ava once again showcases Clio Barnard’s uncanny ability to capture the insoluble complexities of life. Read full review
83
The Film StageJared MobarakSep 12, 2021
Despite Ali & Ava proving a heartwarmingly funny and rich love story, its strength truly lies in the characters’ melancholic confrontation with their underlying pain. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangAug 5, 2022
Barnard’s grounded yet kinetic filmmaking — her collaborators include director of photography Ole Bratt Birkeland and editor Maya Maffioli — catches you up in its own infectious, wittily syncopated rhythms. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Mark KermodeApr 5, 2022
Ali & Ava is a vibrant work that uses the transcendent power of song to turn a streetwise tale into a diegetic musical, with genuinely surprising results. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesTara BradyMar 4, 2022
Akhtar, an actor who was so impressive in Four Lions and Utopia, and Claire Rushbrook, recently seen as Enola Holmes’s housekeeper, make for a quietly magnetic couple. For all the obstacles they face, this remains a strangely joyful film. Read full review
80
Little White LiesCheyenne BunsieMar 3, 2022
With Ali & Ava, Barnard triumphs in presenting a romance tale that is deeply grounded, yet in its well-matched leads and heartfelt story, still possesses the magic required to sweep the audience off its feet. Read full review
80
EmpireBeth WebbMar 1, 2022
A compassionate and tenderly performed love story, with a musical current coursing through it. British cinema is lucky to have Clio Barnard. Read full review
75
Washington PostMark JenkinsAug 1, 2022
What’s most satisfying about the movie is getting to know Ali and Ava separately. They’re endowed with warmth, depth and believability by Akhtar and Rushbrook, veteran supporting actors who are rarely cast in leading roles. Ali and Ava may not be entirely convincing as lovers, but they’re both exceptionally likable as individuals. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyJul 29, 2022
In its understated way, the movie is a celebration of the miracle of connection. Read full review
75
Original-CinKim HughesJul 28, 2022
Low-key and lovely if a bit short on dramatic umph, director Clio Barnard’s Ali & Ava is effectively a straight-up love story eyeballing bigger themes, perhaps to pad its slender story. Admirable for sure, but the result is a bit like fancy icing on a cupcake: nice, but still a cupcake. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Aparita BhandariSep 9, 2021
A quiet study of its characters, Ali & Ava is a fresh take on otherwise well-worn rom-com narratives. Read full review
73
Paste MagazineChloe WalkerJul 21, 2022
Yes, Ali & Ava is messy, and overly stuffed, and not quite as satisfying as it could have been—but if anything, that makes it feel all the more true to life. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinOct 19, 2021
The performances make this worthwhile. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyMar 4, 2022
The performances command respect, even when the script is caught feeding characters stock laugh lines you don’t quite believe, or seeming to fumble (or compress?) whole subplots to duck away from the melodrama it might otherwise have become. Read full review
50
The New York TimesBeandrea JulyJul 28, 2022
The onscreen chemistry between them feels forced and flat, and the decidedly tame portrayals of physical intimacy only accentuate this absence. Read full review
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