Monument Ave.
Lions Gate Films | Release Date: September 25, 1998 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesStephen Holden
The dialogue and the ensemble acting maintain a near-perfect pitch. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Mike Armstrong's relentlessly downbeat script allows Demme to develop an ensnaring camaraderie coupled with a dark destructiveness that recalls Eugene O'Neill. Read full review
80
Village VoiceJustine Elias
Under Ted Demme's accomplished direction, the film unfolds with a kind of ruthless simplicity, observing, rather than stating, the neighborhood's intricate social connections. Read full review
80
The New YorkerBruce Diones
It's Leary who's the real surprise here; his sincere, tough-guy performance is mesmerizing. He lifts the film above its familiar, claustrophobic environment into the gritty realism of very good urban drama. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Leary, Demme, and screenwriter Mike Armstrong have come up with a brilliant, harrowing portrait of misplaced loyalties and savage valor that may be one of the best character-driven ensemble pieces to come around in some time. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
There is a whole genre of films about childhood friends still living in the old neighborhood and going down the drain of crime and drugs. Few of them capture the fatigue and depression, and the futility, as well as this one, in which the characters hold on to their self-respect by obeying the very rules that are grinding them down. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
With fresh dialogue and a willingness to show his protagonists in a less-than-favorable light, Demme has found a way to make this entry memorable. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Stack
Director Ted Demme (with a terse script by Mike Armstrong) keeps it darkly funny while exposing raw nerves in a buildup to unexpected tragedy. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Set in an expressively underlit environment, this rivetingly moody drama is enhanced by the restrained use of incidental music. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubJoshua Klein
Though too short to earn any real sympathy for the characters, and too slow to generate any excitement, Monument Ave. is moderately haunting and occasionally affecting. Read full review
70
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Monument Ave. is a cinematic dead-end street that is not without its gloomy, gritty thrills -- assuming, that is, that you're not in the market for a hero or even the slightest feather of that thing called hope. [09 Oct 1998, Pg.N.49]
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
But where would these lads be without the pop-culture-happy language of Quentin Tarantino to fuel their bull sessions? Nowhere, that's where. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The fewer movies like this you've already seen, the better this one will play. Read full review
60
VarietyTodd McCarthy
The only problem is that the great majority of screen time is devoted to the kind of loutish, drunken, small-minded, confrontational macho posturing that, in assorted ethnic stripes, has been paraded across the screen innumerable times in recent years. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The story has some chillingly suspenseful episodes, although it's marred by overfamiliar themes and weak dialogue. Read full review
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