Brooklyn Castle
Producers Distribution Agency (PDA) | Release Date: October 19, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
77
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsNov 1, 2012
See it, and I dare you not to care about what happens to these kids, these Yankees of chess. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertOct 31, 2012
Katie Dellamaggiore's inspiring documentary covers two years in the history of the school chess team, during which one team member, Rochelle Ballantyn, approaches her dream of becoming the first female African-American grandmaster in U.S history. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerOct 19, 2012
As inspirational academic stories go, it doesn't get much better than this. Read full review
83
The PlaylistKevin JagernauthOct 17, 2012
It subtly makes the connection between the simple equation that investment in our children will give dividends that go far beyond any sort of number on a balance sheet. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranOct 25, 2012
It's a wonderful documentary look at an astonishingly successful public-school chess program that manages to be more moving and heartening than you expect. Which is saying a lot. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeOct 20, 2012
The feel-good documentary is engaging enough to draw a respectable audience at arthouses, but distribs should work for exposure within communities like the ones this school serves. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierOct 18, 2012
A sweet testament to the power of intelligence to win over adversity - even in a Brooklyn middle school where the majority of students live below the poverty level. Read full review
80
The New York TimesManohla DargisOct 18, 2012
It's deeply satisfying watching these public school, hard-knock kids win, and Ms. Dellamaggiore knows it. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'HehirOct 18, 2012
It honestly makes no difference if you don't even know the rules of chess and have never visited New York; this is a story about human potential and the lingering possibilities of the American dream. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleNora AnkrumNov 1, 2012
Set against a backdrop of deep budget cuts and high-stakes testing, this story makes an eloquent plea for the crucial but endangered role of afterschool programs in public education. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoNov 15, 2012
You might hope for a bit more depth on the kids Dellamaggiore profiles - perhaps she could have homed in on, say, two of them - but this is really nitpicking. The film is well made and genuinely inspirational. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyNov 15, 2012
The biggest complaint about Brooklyn Castle is that there's not enough of her. A presence as magnetic as Vicary's demands more screen time. How did she come to chess (a notoriously male-dominated game)? How did she come to 318? Read full review
75
Washington PostStephanie MerryNov 2, 2012
Enlightening, inspiring and expertly crafted documentary. Read full review
75
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeOct 19, 2012
Brooklyn Castle is an engaging tale, and the principal is wrong: These kids are much more lovable than the Yankees. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumOct 17, 2012
A great subject goes a long way in this standard but effective entry in the amazing-kids documentary category. Read full review
70
Village VoiceMichelle OrangeOct 17, 2012
We also gain a keen sense of how chess in particular helps otherwise academically challenged kids find a way into their own brains. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubAlison WillmoreOct 17, 2012
Indifferently structured but centered around charming characters, the documentary starts off as a chronicle of the scholastic chess year, but becomes a compelling plea on behalf of the importance of afterschool programs. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineKalvin HenelyOct 18, 2012
It pays to consider even the small details of society's greatest investment in the future: our future generations. Read full review
60
Time OutDavid FearOct 16, 2012
If the film occasionally bumps up against the limitations of its "Spellbound"-like template, its refusal to ignore the social issues outside of the classroom proves it's more than simply a novelty human-interest story with impressive knight moves. Read full review
More From This Movie

77 Critic Reviews

6.7 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL