Chuck
IFC Films | Release Date: May 5, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMay 11, 2017
Liev Schreiber is outstanding as the hulking, rough-edged, amiable and charismatic Wepner. Read full review
80
The GuardianNigel M SmithSep 14, 2016
Falardeau draws exceptional character work from his cast. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungSep 14, 2016
Falardeau, who made his mark with the Oscar-nominated teacher-student tale Monsieur Lazhar, again brings real tenderness to his portrait of a man in trouble. Read full review
80
Screen DailyLee MarshallSep 14, 2016
The ‘I could have been a contender’ brand of sports movie gets a twist in this tasty, if minor-key, biopic. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenMay 17, 2017
With its period-perfect recall of Seventies fashion and cocaine consumption, Chuck’s rise-and-fall story bears greater resemblance to "Goodfellas" than "Rocky" or "Raging Bull." Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzMay 20, 2017
It may not go the distance, but it’s surely worth a step into the ring. Read full review
75
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallMay 18, 2017
Chuck is a character study of fleeting fame in prolonged decline, anchored by Liev Schreiber's brutish charisma in the title role. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubMay 10, 2017
The Chuck Wepner story is a compelling one — and the performances ensure its place as a sports movie contender. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedMay 9, 2017
It’s a routine story, worth seeing for the galvanizing (pulverizing?) star performance by a smashing Liev Schreiber in the title role. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyMay 5, 2017
Chuck ultimately works, mainly because Schreiber is so watchable. There's something compelling about seeing a man who is so strong and so weak, simultaneously. You like him in spite of him. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyJoe McGovernMay 4, 2017
Schreiber buoys the film with his characteristic blend of nuance and smirking humor, exuding likability though never lionizing the self-described “selfish prick” that he’s portraying. Read full review
75
The PlaylistJessica KiangSep 14, 2016
Very well-made, very sweet-natured and very, very familiar: how strange that Philippe Falardeau‘s The Bleeder, a based-in-truth film about pretty much the definition of a confrontational sport —boxing— should feel cosy as a down comforter from beginning to end. Read full review
75
The Film StageRory O'ConnorSep 3, 2016
The Bleeder isn’t attempting to reinvent any wheels, but it is consistently gripping — slick as a skip rope and just one hell of a story. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMay 11, 2017
Liev Schreiber is outstanding as the title character, a big lug who can’t stay out of his own way. Read full review
70
The New YorkerAnthony LaneMay 8, 2017
Schreiber moves with bearish stolidity, even when boxing, and nothing is more poignantly delayed than Chuck’s realization that most of his wounds were self-inflicted. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleMay 4, 2017
Chuck is, in certain ways, not unlike its flawed hero: a lot of personality, just enough ambition, more interested in a good time and simple insight than a lasting impression. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennyMay 4, 2017
Mr. Schreiber has almost no physical resemblance to Wepner, in his heyday a burly, mustachioed redhead. Mr. Schreiber is a terrific actor, however, and he pulls it off. His portrayal works partly because of its understatement. Read full review
70
Village VoiceApril WolfeMay 3, 2017
It’s interesting that the most compelling parts of this film are the ones that convey how a taste of Hollywood can destroy a life, since this is yet another Hollywood film about that life. Read full review
70
VarietyGuy LodgeSep 14, 2016
The film is most thoughtful, and sometimes even painful, as a study of the pitfalls (and pitiful rewards) of local celebrity. Read full review
65
IGNAlex WelchJun 1, 2017
Chuck doesn’t contribute anything new to the boxing drama that filmgoers haven’t already seen a hundred times before, but with a strong lead performance from Liev Schreiber and a dependable supporting cast, Chuck manages to bring the story of its protagonist to life with heart and respect. Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenMay 11, 2017
Thanks to its two central performances, Chuck is a solid contender. Read full review
63
Washington PostPat PaduaMay 11, 2017
Although the central match in Chuck is effective, and hits all the right beats, unlike the best of the “Rocky” movies, the drama outside the ring is less potent than drama inside. This, despite strong performances by Schreiber and — especially — Moss, a grounding presence who summons a toughness not usually seen in her work. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTom RussoMay 10, 2017
The film’s casting in general is a strength, however deep the resonance of what the actors are playing. Schreiber’s ex-girlfriend, Naomi Watts, is a brassy, savvy presence as Wepner’s bartender soulmate. Read full review
60
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottMay 18, 2017
As with everything in which he appears, Schreiber is one of the best things about the movie. Read full review
60
CineVueJohn BleasdaleSep 14, 2016
This affectionate portrait in failure is more in the tone of Darren Aronofky's Venice winner The Wrestler, carried mainly by a brilliantly swollen performance by Schrieber, full of humour and bluff and yet with an intelligence to learn his lessons, slowly, but learn them. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd May 9, 2017
The movie is more interested in him as a lovable loser, a working-class palooka who stumbled briefly into the spotlight, and Schreiber — bulked up, mustachioed, having a grand time — leans enjoyably into his hangdog mediocrity. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChuck BowenMay 2, 2017
Like its protagonist, Philippe Falardeau's film gets lost in a haze of incidental cacophony. Read full review
50
TheWrapDan CallahanApr 28, 2017
Chuck takes a small subject and turns it into a basic redemption story, and as such it has some merit. Not much, but just enough. Read full review
50
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoSep 19, 2016
The Bleeder is a surface-value, party-first boxing dramedy that pulls its punches and goes too far into "charismatic sleazeball" territories. Read full review
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