Luce
Neon | Release Date: August 2, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The PlaylistJordan RuimyFeb 4, 2019
Luce is a dangerous minefield and simply crackles with the kind of distressing pressure that is beginning to define America in every conversation we have about race, marginalization, social strata, woke politics and even marriage. Read full review
91
The Film StageJake HowellFeb 1, 2019
This film, ultimately, is a major work of contemporary American cinema: complex, beguiling, and full of meaty discussion points that will challenge audiences throughout 2019 and beyond. Read full review
90
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergAug 1, 2019
To say that it unfolds like a play is both accurate and undersells how gorgeously it has been rendered for the screen. Read full review
90
VarietyPeter DebrugeFeb 1, 2019
The film is sleek and shadowy, benefiting from the fact Onah chose to shoot on celluloid and driven by stellar performances across the board. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperAug 8, 2019
So much of Luce is about what’s happening beneath the surface and between the lines. Everyone says they’re searching for the truth — even as they lie and obfuscate and bend the facts to suit their particular agendas and world views. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeNora McGreevyAug 8, 2019
Watts’s insistence on pursuing in secret the truth about her son, as opposed to asking him simple questions outright, doesn’t quite track. The questions echo long after the credits roll — which is either brilliant or maddening, depending on who you ask. Read full review
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Sarah-Tai BlackAug 7, 2019
In truth, there is not much this film does not cover; every minute of Luce is saturated with the organicism of its sharp lines of inquiry and its actors here are at their best in their handling of their given materials. Read full review
88
The Associated PressLindsey BahrAug 1, 2019
It’s a perfectly crafted cocktail of vision, talent and script that will leave your mind spinning for days. Read full review
88
TheWrapTomris LafflyFeb 1, 2019
The suspense is perhaps a tad elongated, and the film’s risky, ambiguous handling of a #MeToo case is dangerously open to misinterpretation. But Luce remains a brave, cinematically articulate effort that questions our country’s core failings without ever tidily categorizing its characters. Read full review
83
Original-CinKaren GordonAug 8, 2019
On the surface, Luce is a study of race and privilege in contemporary America. But it’s more broadly and more subtly about family relationships and the psychological deals we make with others and ourselves. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Aug 2, 2019
It’s a remarkable, chilling performance: from Harrison, certainly, but also from his character, playing code-switching mind games with his teacher. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnFeb 1, 2019
The filmmaker sticks close to the theatrical roots of the material, sometimes stumbling on wordy, overzealous monologues that might land better on the stage. But the cast goes to great lengths to sell the premise. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeNov 14, 2019
Part cautionary tale about the pitfalls of judging a book by its cover, part wily, gaslighting mind game, Luce is a tricky thing to pin down. And it’s entirely appropriate that a film that so bluntly challenges the preconceptions that determine society’s evaluation of a person should itself be a slippery enigma that defies neat categorisation. Read full review
80
Rolling StonePeter TraversJul 31, 2019
It’s riveting from start to finish. Read full review
80
The GuardianBenjamin LeeApr 27, 2019
A tense, knotty puzzle ... It’s a drama that moves like a thriller. Read full review
80
Screen DailyStephen Whitty Feb 1, 2019
Anchored by standout performances by Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer and young Kelvin Harrison Jr., it’s a strong indie film about race, family and trust that should connect with fans of smart, provocative cinema. Read full review
80
Film ThreatMatthew PassantinoFeb 1, 2019
Luce is a quiet stunner, ready to unnerve you in unexpected ways. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerAug 14, 2019
Luce’s power is that it refuses to ever pander to absolutes. Its commitment to ambiguity, to complexity, is defining. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattAug 5, 2019
No one gets off easy here, and no one quite gets answers, either; maybe that’s the point. Read full review
75
Slant MagazinePat BrownAug 3, 2019
On the whole, the film is an unvarnished reflection of the ugliness of American attitudes toward assimilation. Read full review
75
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiAug 2, 2019
Luce is a taut, extremely watchable movie, though the dialogue could loosen up a touch. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternAug 1, 2019
The narrative, framed as a psychological mystery, labors under more layers of significance than it can handle without falling into contrivance and argumentation. Still, the dramatic core is strong, an exceptional young man struggling to find, and become, whoever he really is. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangJul 31, 2019
Luce has a lot on its mind, and its desire to provoke and disturb is far from unwelcome. But in attempting to think outside the box, the movie may unwittingly trap itself inside one, too. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyNov 8, 2019
The film’s nothing if not an argument-starter, with plenty of hot provocations – especially about the bargains underpinning black excellence – to toss out. They’re like firecrackers, though. You come out rattled, but half-certain you’ve been toyed with. Read full review
60
EmpireKambole CampbellNov 4, 2019
While it’s a shame that Luce loses sight of the very topics that it brings up in service of cheap thrills, it’s a fascinating, entertaining puzzle all the same. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinAug 3, 2019
In the end, you’re left with a movie that doesn’t quite jell but expands in the mind. It’s an excellent Book Club movie — it demands to be discussed, debated, embraced, or (perhaps) rejected. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeFeb 1, 2019
Teasing the viewer with ambiguous evidence is one thing, but the film doesn't seem to know what truth is behind the curtain. Luce the man remains unknown, and Luce the movie a missed opportunity. Read full review
50
The AtlanticDavid SimsAug 7, 2019
Luce spends too much time presenting a puzzle for viewers to solve and, in doing so, neglects the human drama underneath. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanAug 6, 2019
A funny thing happened while watching Luce. With only a half-hour or so of the movie left to go, it suddenly occurred to me: I wasn’t sure what the movie was actually about. Or, more accurately, it was about so much that, at the point where most films are starting to wrap things up, this one felt like it was still just setting the stage. Read full review
50
ObserverOliver JonesAug 1, 2019
The result is a well-intentioned but ultimately torpid film, one that feels much more concerned with saying something important than it is the far more noble task of conveying a compelling story worth telling. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonAug 2, 2019
Luce is the worst kind of provocateur; it tosses out all manner of outrageous ideas and then, like those pathetic dudes on Twitter, it yells out “DEBATE ME!” As soon as you accept the challenge, the film folds like cheap origami. And this film has a lot to toss at you. Read full review
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