Concrete Cowboy
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): April 2, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
10
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 14, 2020
This is one of those rare, reframe-the-conversation films, like “Paris Is Burning,” “12 O’Clock Boys” and “Rize,” that take a very specific subculture and turn it into something universal and uplifting — only this one isn’t a documentary, despite the many real-world details that bring director Ricky Staub’s exceptional father-son drama to life. Read full review
80
ABC NewsPeter TraversApr 2, 2021
An inner-city western featuring Black cowboys in a real-life setting deserves celebrating and the dynamite teamwork of Idris Elba and young Caleb McLaughlin heads off the father-son cliches in the script to keep you riveted. Read full review
78
PolygonQuinci LeGardyeApr 9, 2021
The film deftly balances a crowded narrative that includes a father-son reconciliation and a depiction of the dangers of running the streets. Read full review
78
TheWrapSteve PondSep 15, 2020
Concrete Cowboy is an urban drama, but it’s also a glimpse of a world most of us never knew, and a richly evocative introduction to a strange new world that has been right under our noses all along. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattApr 8, 2021
Writer-director Ricky Staub brings real-life rhythms and texture to his feature debut by filling the screen with that homegrown scene, and casting several actual riders from the city's Fletcher Street Stables in supporting roles. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonApr 1, 2021
While I admit I would have preferred a documentary about the people who have passed this tradition down from generation to generation, director Ricky Staub’s fictional feature serves as a worthwhile introduction. Read full review
75
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiApr 1, 2021
Harp’s mix of old-school masculinity, love of animals and innate paternal instincts suits Elba perfectly. And unlike Nomadland, which also brought together real citizens with a Hollywood star (Frances McDormand), Elba fits easily and naturally into this group and their environment. It’s like a rider meeting the perfect horse. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperApr 1, 2021
This is a warmhearted and borderline corny story we’ve seen hundreds of times before, but the backdrop for this tale is certainly unusual, and pretty special. Read full review
75
The Associated PressJocelyn NoveckApr 1, 2021
Concrete Cowboy, an impressive debut by writer-director Ricky Staub that overcomes formulaic dialogue and we-saw-that-coming plot twists with its sheer heart, is based on a novel, Ghetto Cowboy by Gregory Neri. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy BurrMar 31, 2021
The film is a shrine to a hardy subculture, its people, and the animals they love. Long may they run. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn HornadayMar 30, 2021
Even within the confines of its generic plot and sometimes stilted dialogue, Concrete Cowboy winds up being an engaging and moving family drama. Its sincerity, accomplished cast and proud Philadelphia roots manage to keep it real. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisMar 30, 2021
Beyond the superb acting, Concrete Cowboy gets a lot of mileage from its visually arresting riding scenes and its spot-on score, which is both haunting and inspirational. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeSep 16, 2020
It’s a little corny at times, but it looks good and has heart—and, let’s be honest, Black cowboys are pretty damn cool. Read full review
75
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaSep 16, 2020
There’s a serious lack of movies about Black cowboys or Black equestrians in general, and by telling their story in the unlikeliest of settings, Concrete Cowboy feels vibrant and alive, even when it’s suffering from its own plotting problems. Read full review
70
VoxAlissa WilkinsonApr 8, 2021
Despite its flaws, the film works because it’s not, in the end, contrived. Read full review
70
TimeStephanie ZacharekApr 2, 2021
Concrete Cowboy—directed by Ricky Staub and adapted from a novel by Greg Neri, inspired by Philadelphia’s real-life Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club—is your classic story about an irritable young man redeemed by an animal, and the embrace of a community. But it’s satisfying even so, largely because watching Elba is such a pleasure. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternApr 1, 2021
Concrete Cowboy is far from perfect, but it’s vividly alive. If the choice must be between that and careful craftsmanship, life carries the day. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennyApr 1, 2021
The movie’s convincing accretion of detail and its affectionate fictionalization of an actual subculture are disarming. Read full review
70
UproxxMike RyanSep 17, 2020
Concrete Cowboy is a nice movie about fathers and sons and humanity and the legacy of why there are people riding horses in places you wouldn’t expect to see any horses. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneySep 14, 2020
The occasional touch of cliché or corny dialogue can't dampen the vibrant spirit of this moving, well-acted drama about a fractured family coming together in unexpected ways. Read full review
67
IndieWireEric KohnSep 14, 2020
There’s certainly representational value in the way it brings a conventionally rousing narrative to such unorthodox material. At the same time, it leaves you wondering how much better the whole thing would have held together if it simply let the riders speak for themselves. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 2, 2021
Every eye-rolling dash of wish-fulfillment fantasy frees this genre picture from the concrete and touches or tickles. Middling movie or not, this one’s well worth a look. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineChuck BowenSep 16, 2020
The film is stirring when it really dives into specificity. Read full review
60
Rolling StoneDavid FearApr 2, 2021
As an at-risk teen drama, the film is passable. As a portrait of a community, it’s eye-opening. Read full review
60
EmpireIan FreerApr 1, 2021
If it cleaves too close to convention and doesn’t land the ending, Concrete Cowboy is a striking debut, celebrating a long-overlooked tradition of Black cowboys via visually powerful filmmaking. And Caleb McLaughlin is superb. Read full review
60
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzMar 30, 2021
A compelling, if ultimately predictable, coming-of-age drama. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawSep 15, 2020
This is an old-fashioned father-son story and none the worse for that, but there is something a little slick and subdued about the way the story is resolved. Read full review
58
ConsequenceJesse HassengerApr 2, 2021
Concrete Cowboy is visually engaging, and might appeal to younger teenagers (its R-rating is primarily for language). But anyone already familiar with the dynamics of summer-vacation character-building may find it unsatisfying—even unconvincing. Read full review
58
The PlaylistRobert DanielsSep 14, 2020
Concrete Cowboy breathes new life into the western genre and sheds a brighter light on a faction of Black culture that was largely unknown by white audiences until today. Read full review
55
Paste MagazineJacob OllerApr 2, 2021
Since we don’t really have characters and we pretty much know how this story is going to go, all we’re left with is images—and Staub proves himself a greenhorn every step of the way. The script, for all its by-the-numbers structure, still has plenty of potential for some engaging and unique moments. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubCarlos AguilarMar 31, 2021
Derived from the novel Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri, this film iteration bargains in vague platitudes as it unsuccessfully tries to piece together a collage of factors threatening the viability of this one-of-a-kind place. Read full review
50
IGNSiddhant AdlakhaMar 30, 2021
Despite the efforts of Idris Elba and the cast, Concrete Cowboy never explores its characters or premise in much depth. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 14, 2020
A heartfelt but ultimately hobbled coming-of-age drama. Read full review
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