Blue Like Jazz
Roadside Attractions | Release Date: April 13, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
7
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
The A.V. ClubNathan RabinApr 11, 2012
For all its low-key charms, the coming-of-age story risks being too Christian for secular audiences and too secular and colorful for Christian audiences: Like its spiritual seeker of a protagonist, it's caught between worlds. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisApr 13, 2012
Taylor's film is never boring, and it has some beautiful, thought-provoking moments. In a genre in which preaching to the choir seems to be the norm, this film is a welcome entry. Read full review
63
USA TodayScott BowlesApr 19, 2012
Just earnest enough to blend its religious theme with a beer-chugging hero for a surprisingly contemporary look at faith. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanApr 12, 2012
Without being parodistic, it manages to poke fun at the air of privilege and strenuous political correctness common to lefty, liberal arts schools, while retaining a certain affection for their heartfelt quirks. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineR. Kurt OsenlundApr 10, 2012
Blue Like Jazz charts a typical existential coming-of-age tale, yet remains atypical by being hip while also treating religion fairly. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinApr 13, 2012
As for the title, it's a nod to the jazz music that Don's off-the-grid dad shares with his more buttoned-up son. But, like most everything else here, it feels more contrived than authentic. Read full review
50
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeApr 13, 2012
Steve Taylor's direction is unexciting but solid, relying on the beauty of Portland and his spirited young cast for most of the visual interest. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrApr 12, 2012
It does give believers and those tottering on the edge something to chew on, and it steadfastly refuses to demonize everybody else. Read full review
50
Village VoiceBenjamin MercerApr 10, 2012
One only has so much patience, though, for watching Communion-wafer-thin characters caught in a liberal-arts cartoon. Read full review
50
VarietyJustin ChangApr 9, 2012
Remains as tame in its presentation as its target audience would expect. Students drink beers on occasion, but no one is shown having sex, taking mind-altering substances or using language that would jeopardize a PG-13 rating. On the plus side, the film also abstains from any overt message-mongering. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianMarc MohanApr 12, 2012
The potential for an interesting story is high. Unfortunately, Miller's autobiographical tale, as told in Blue Like Jazz, squanders this potential by failing to take place in a recognizably real world. Read full review
40
The New York TimesRachel SaltzApr 12, 2012
Through it all Mr. Allman, who played the skeevy Tommy on "True Blood," is a pleasant presence but blank. And Don's crisis of faith, which should be the movie's core and engine, is never really convincing. It's spelled out but dramatically inert, lost among the yuks of the Reed kookiness. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenApr 11, 2012
The primary problem with Blue Like Jazz is that there is no believable character development. Read full review
20
Time OutDavid FearApr 10, 2012
The movie adaptation's version of religion may be more nuanced than the usual Left Behind fire-and-brimstone sermonizing you find in much contemporary pro-Christian cinema, but it still leaves behind a sulfuric stink. Read full review
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