Fancy Dance
Apple Original Films | Release Date: June 21, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
77
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
We Got This CoveredCharlotte SimmonsJul 1, 2024
The awe-inspiring strength of 'Fancy Dance' is as softly sensational as it is proudly singular, and Gladstone is breathtaking throughout; Indigenous voices are a necessity to filmmaking. Read full review
91
ColliderChase HutchinsonJan 28, 2023
We are left with a shattering sequence of bittersweet joy crossed with sadness that serves as a testament to the power cinema has to linger forever in our memories. Read full review
90
New York Magazine (Vulture)Roxana HadadiJul 2, 2024
Alongside Gladstone’s expressive performance, Fancy Dance’s ability to choreograph that criticism gives the film a singular grace. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweJan 28, 2023
Fancy Dance presents a broader narrative that emphasizes the connections that sustain families, communities and tribal nations, even when confronted with a legacy of disenfranchisement. Tremblay’s film validates the varied expressions of that experience with an affirming account of resilience and hope that sparkles with authentic performances, sensitive scripting and a genuine sense of place that resonate well after the final credits roll. Read full review
90
SlashfilmSarah MilnerJan 28, 2023
Fancy Dance has excellent performances, elevated by the script's deft composition. There's a remarkable nuance at play in this story of womanhood, parenthood, sexuality, community, and coming of age. It all feels so real and authentic. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJun 28, 2024
In Erica Tremblay’s lean and quietly powerful “Fancy Dance,” a 13-year-old girl named Roki can scarcely contain her excitement about an upcoming dance, but the circumstances in this story couldn’t be more different than those old-school high school fairy tales. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldJun 27, 2024
In a movie that reminds us that parenting comes in many forms, it’s touching to learn that the Cayuga word for “aunt” is “small mother.” We almost didn’t need the definition; it’s visible, in Gladstone and Delroy-Olson’s eyes. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comJourdain SearlesJun 21, 2024
Fancy Dance reminds us of how communities care for each other, regardless of the risk involved. Tremblay’s narrative debut is simply beautiful, and hopefully, there’s much more to come. Read full review
83
IndieWireChristian ZilkoJun 21, 2024
On its own terms, the film is an exquisite star vehicle for one of Hollywood’s best rising actresses and an engaging thriller about the contradictions that form when you can’t assemble the puzzle of your own life without relying on pieces you’d rather throw away. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeJun 29, 2024
While Fancy Dance has a tendency to labour its points a little too emphatically, Gladstone and Deroy-Olson are both phenomenal; their connection, played out in shared glances and urgent wordless messages, is palpable, persuasive and vital. Read full review
80
SlateDana StevensJun 28, 2024
Part road movie, part coming-of-age story, and part noir police procedural, the quietly confident Fancy Dance marks the feature debut of Erica Tremblay, a documentary filmmaker who also wrote and directed episodes of the FX series Reservation Dogs. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleJun 25, 2024
Tremblay’s template for on-the-run suspense is effective, primarily by avoiding the exploitative in favor of scenes that drive home the feeling of lives susceptible to being uprooted. Read full review
80
EmpireAmon WarmannJun 24, 2024
A thoughtful, affecting debut feature from Tremblay that puts a necessary spotlight on Indigenous peoples — featuring another exceptional performance from Lily Gladstone. Read full review
80
Screen RantTatiana HullenderFeb 3, 2023
As tough as things get for the leads, with law enforcement representing danger for them instead of protection, there is the beautiful sense that their joy can not be lessened if they can have one more dance. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonJun 27, 2024
Gladstone (“Under the Bridge”), Oscar-nominated for Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” is the heart and soul of “Fancy Dance,” which in other hands might have been a noirish thriller. But writer-director Erica Tremblay has something else in mind: a finely crafted drama about a woman and her niece who are unwilling to let the hopelessness of her situation define her. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonJun 26, 2024
As usual, Gladstone is excellent, and she doesn’t mind ceding the spotlight to Deroy-Olson. The two craft a convincing family unit, one we don’t want to see broken. And though the film hits familiar plot beats, it loses none of its redemptive power. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineJake ColeJun 18, 2024
Erica Tremblay’s granular attention to place makes sure that you take note of the root causes of the defeat felt by the Native characters. Read full review
75
The PlaylistMarya E. GatesJan 28, 2023
While the third act makes a few wonky choices, and the ending comes together a little too neatly, there’s no denying its impact. Read full review
71
Paste MagazineJacob OllerJan 28, 2023
The intimacy of the narrative reveals how the script influences Tremblay’s direction rather than the other way around. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBrandon YuJun 27, 2024
Tremblay’s film is not always graceful — the dialogue and acting can be stilted, and one hopes for a little more formal rigor — but it’s a strong debut undergirded by a palpably real emotional core and an un-showy sense of the reality of reservation life. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubElijah GonzalezJun 20, 2024
While the grounded presentation is one of the movie’s greatest strengths, there are some chunks in the middle where things nod off. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 24, 2024
A fine finish and some good performances recommend Fancy Dance. Read full review
63
ObserverLaura BabiakJun 20, 2024
It oscillates between moving and manufactured, but the movie’s honest portrayal of life on a tribal reservation and a powerful performance by Lily Gladstone keep things grounded. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawJun 26, 2024
Gladstone’s performance is looser, more open, less reserved. Simply put: she does more acting, and gives strength and substance to a dense, knotty family drama which though maybe anticlimactic in the final act – and too reliant on a handgun plot-point – is fluent and heartfelt. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithJun 20, 2024
Thanks to an inert story and disagreeable characters, its 90 minutes go by slowly. Read full review
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