Blue Bayou
Focus Features | Release Date: September 17, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
12
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
EmpirePamela HutchinsonDec 3, 2021
Multi-hyphenate Justin Chon has crafted an impressive melodrama, rich in Louisiana atmosphere and with a timely message, but Blue Bayou is marred by its reliance on symbolism and sentiment. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawDec 1, 2021
Subtlety and nuance are not exactly this film’s strong points. Read full review
60
VarietyGuy LodgeJul 16, 2021
Blue Bayou holds little back as it rails against the cruelties and hypocrisies of American immigration law to stirring effect — though this emotional pile-driver of a film could stand to trust more in the undeniable power of its core story. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJul 16, 2021
There’s enormous heart behind Justin Chon’s drama, and wrenching performances full of feeling from the writer-director and his co-star Alicia Vikander. But those strengths don’t obscure the problems of an overdetermined screenplay, with too many plot points competing for focus and too many moments of strained melodrama. Read full review
58
TheWrapSteve PondJul 16, 2021
The melodrama can be effective at times, and there’s an admirable urgency with which it tackles significant issues in U.S. immigration policy. Read full review
58
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJul 16, 2021
Justin Chon’s overcranked but achingly heartfelt “Blue Bayou” is a case-study in how issue-driven melodramas are a double-edged sword. Read full review
50
Original-CinLiam LaceySep 16, 2021
The praise for the film — a one-man show by a Korean-American filmmaker at a time of heightened anti-Asian racism and a focus on unjust immigration policies — is understandable. But the film itself is a disappointment, a message film that relies far too much on artless, melodramatic contrivances for its emotional impact. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleJenny NulfSep 16, 2021
Chon’s ambitions are astonishing, but his bloated script needed an edit or two. It’s a film written with big moments for big performances in mind, which is too painfully obvious as the film treads on. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanSep 15, 2021
Blue Bayou strikes a nerve, of that there is no doubt. But then it keeps poking at it, pointlessly. Read full review
45
Vanity FairCassie da CostaSep 17, 2021
We get a smattering of piercing thoughts about family separation as sanctioned by the U.S. government and a roster of deeply felt performances, but not the vision to see it through. Read full review
40
Little White LiesHannah StrongDec 3, 2021
[Chon's] execution is heavy-handed, with the ending steering into a mawkish spectacle which undercuts the seriousness of the topic at hand. Read full review
40
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeDec 3, 2021
The main thread of the script is efficient enough, but the loosely connected subplot concerning a terminally ill acquaintance strains the boundaries of good taste past breaking point. Read full review
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