Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: July 11, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Original-CinChris KnightJul 17, 2025
The film is a potent portrait of the heavy bootprint that colonialism left on the African continent, but the childlike point of view makes it an eminently watchable story, with moments of levity and even humour. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithJul 10, 2025
“Dogs” is a beguiling recreation of one irrepressible childhood. The movie is sometimes funny, sometimes heartrending, but always invitingly candid and relatable. In its specificity it winds up being universal: As children, we really were odd little beasts, weren’t we? Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterCaryn JamesOct 9, 2024
There is more of Fuller’s memoir that might be a source for other adaptations. It is hard to imagine any would be more beautifully realized than this. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawOct 3, 2025
It’s a powerful, immersively detailed film, with three outstanding performances. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeAug 24, 2025
Precisely the sort of intelligent, human-scale adult drama audiences insist no one makes anymore. Read full review
80
Screen RantMary KasselJul 10, 2025
The movie is Davidtz's feature debut. What she crafts is something imperfect, but as nuanced as a discussion of this topic from the white perspective can be. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesAmy NicholsonJul 10, 2025
The pull of the film lies in how Davidtz allows Bobo to bob on the surface of things while we feel the dark undertow Read full review
75
Washington PostTy BurrJul 18, 2025
The bones of this memory play are familiar, but Davidtz is a natural filmmaker, and the sense of a tattered but privileged world teetering on extinction is visualized with fresh and evocative details. Read full review
75
IndieWireRyan LattanzioJul 14, 2025
The grand takeaway is Venter’s astonishing turn. That kid’s got a future, and it began with a filmmaker who knew how to direct her: with patient energy while also encouraging the freedom to play and seek and explore as Bobo does within her little big world. Read full review
75
The Associated PressJocelyn NoveckJul 9, 2025
Nobody’s perfect, though Bobo may think she is. But in Venter’s performance, Davidtz has found something pretty close: a child actor who can carry an entire film and never seem like she’s acting. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesGemma WilsonJul 9, 2025
Parts of that story may be hard to watch, but, anchored by Venter’s extraordinary performance, it’s not hard to enjoy. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comPeyton RobinsonJul 11, 2025
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is inherently bound by its white perspective, but at the same time, it would simply be a different story if not through Bobo’s eyes. Read full review
60
The TimesKevin MaherOct 3, 2025
It’s always compelling, and a powerful first feature. Read full review
60
The New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanJul 10, 2025
Because she lacks a conception of colonialism, Davidtz sometimes struggles to negotiate the film’s fidelity to her point of view with a more complete picture of the war. Read full review
60
Screen DailyRobert DanielsOct 9, 2024
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is the kind of bold swing with difficult material that does manage to earn your respect. Read full review
60
ColliderAnna MillerSep 24, 2024
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is a fascinating indie flick with enough pull to find its audience. Davidtz does well enough with her first feature, and the story, along with Venter’s incredible performance, is more than enough to pique the audience’s interest enough to perhaps pick up the memoir. Read full review
More From This Movie

74 Critic Reviews

tbd 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