Better Luck Tomorrow
MTV Films | Release Date: April 11, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
9
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Not just a thriller, not just a social commentary, not just a comedy or a romance, but all of those in a clearly seen, brilliantly made film. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleC.W. Nevius
In some ways, this is "The Graduate" gone to "Lord of the Flies." Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Lin is a talent to watch. There's a sting to this film that gets to you. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Typically, movies aimed at teenage audiences have little concern for things like intelligent scripts, credible characters, and meaningful dialogue. Better Luck Tomorrow contains all three, making it a hugely rewarding experience. Read full review
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Lin energizes the grungy palette with stylistic zing, a hopped-up pace and understated humor. His cast carves out vivid characters and the open-ended aftermath takes stock of the moral scarring without moralizing. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
It has the virtue of Lin's tangy wit but it also suffers from the vice of a director who, torn between personal vision and wide public reach, tends to smother his ideas under a veneer of cool. Read full review
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
An exhilarating ride. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Mr. Lin makes the anxious grasping of these kids for some kind of emotional turf -- their own need to shatter the stereotypes that bind them -- the heart of Better Luck Tomorrow, a scenario that keeps the movie's blood racing. Read full review
80
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Lin's nicely turned out picture is sometimes both predictable and a bit far-fetched narratively, but still provides a generally absorbing look at a slice of society normally taken for granted, both in life and onscreen. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Breathes new life into a familiar story: coming of age in high school.
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
"Rebel Without a Cause" with a debate club, Better Luck Tomorrow is a sharp, smart slice of suburban angst among the high school overachiever set. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
Bracing and stylish thriller. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Well-crafted, Tarantino-esque story. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Lin works with a rhythmic observational flair that outweighs the movie's flaws. It's a long way from Long Duk Dong. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Has a vitality and novelty rare in any youth movie, let alone one that claps fresh eyes on a cliched vision of a model minority. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
What helps Lin's feature-directing debut is his insight into the dark side of living up to "model minority" stereotypes in a materialistic culture. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
The same premise could have been turned into a satirical comedy, but Better Luck Tomorrow opts for a more corrosive, challenging route, one whose troubling, morally ambiguous ending offers no easy resolution. Read full review
70
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Although this movie shows Lin's promising moviemaking sensibilities, its point of view feels coldly amoral and dismissive. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
The performances are strong without calling attention to themselves--which is more than I can say for the occasionally hackneyed use of rock on the sound track. Read full review
70
Film ThreatMerle Bertrand
A rare high school dramedy with some heft to it. Smartly photographed and edited, it manages to walk the difficult tightrope strung between the typically loopy coming of age film and a simmering disaster in the making. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
A film that merges cocaine, Ivy League, college applications, the Asian American experience, dark comedy and high school drama while maintaining a personal tone and likable lead characters is just too impressive to knock. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Like his characters, Lin may be an overachiever and the strain of trying to do too much shows. He merges genres the way Ben juggles extracurricular activities. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Good idea for a movie about rebellious Asian Americans doesn't fully pan out. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyJohn Powers
Though it doesn't fully transcend its small budget (the lighting is dingy), the story feels rooted in something more solid than prefab posturing. Read full review
60
SalonCharles Taylor
Follows a consistently predictable arc. In some sequences, you can tell not just what's going to happen next, but what shot is coming next. And the movie's weird mixture of moralism and affectlessness cancel each other out. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
It almost plays like a darkly comic "Peanuts" special. Read full review
50
Chicago TribunePatrick Z. McGavin
The film lacks a single emotionally authentic moment. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
The end result is a series of stylish vignettes, some entertaining and all variations on essentially the same theme. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
The crime isn't that the movie's message is amoral, but that it goes totally unexamined, as if the recess bell rang too early. Read full review
50
Village VoiceEd Park
Seeing BLT has been positioned as a political act. Alas: The film in question seems hardly worth the fuss. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
uUltimately Better Luck Tomorrow feels nearly as hollow and unknowable as its characters’ hearts. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Perhaps the worst thing that could be said about Better Luck Tomorrow is that, on a slow night, it's easy to imagine these delinquents wanting to rent a film just like it. Read full review
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