American Flyers
Warner Bros. | Release Date: August 16, 1985 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
50
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
Badham and scriptwriter Steve Tesich keep the syrup and scenery flowing along nicely. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
American Flyers is shaky at the core, because it tries to tap-dance around its own central issues. Read full review
60
EmpireWilliam Thomas
Not only do the pair have to prepare for the upcoming race, but, hey, they also have to deal with a hysterical mother, a dying father, and the knowledge that one brother is destined for the same fate as pops. Not quite as sickly as it sounds, with a fair few hints of the onscreen magnetism to come. Read full review
60
NewsweekDavid Ansen
American Flyers is too accomplished not to wring tears, but you may want to kick and scream before you succumb. [09 Sep 1985, p.90]
50
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
American Flyers is most entertaining when it rolls along unencumbered by big statements. Unfortunately, overblown production just pumps hot air in too many directions and comes up limp. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneRick Kogan
Though the racing action scenes are initially satisfying, one soon tires of the mountain scenery. And the obvious-from-the-start ending robs the race of whatever dramatic tension it ordinarily might have possessed. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay Scott
Predictable and maudlin. [14 Oct 1985]
50
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
Disjointed and underdeveloped. John Badham's direction is equally uninspired, though the climactic race, shot on location during the Coors International Bicycle Classic, is filmed with an abundance of breathtaking helicopter shots that capture the beautiful scenery. Read full review
40
The New York TimesVincent Canby
Even though American Flyers is a fatal disease movie involving a couple of bike-racing brothers, it's the film - and not any character - that dies as you watch it. Read full review
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