Morris from America
A24 | Release Date: August 19, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
25
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
SlateDana StevensAug 20, 2016
I wish there were more films every year like Morris From America, the kind that surprise you by revealing a hidden side of something—an actor, a genre, a situation—you thought you had figured out. Read full review
90
The New York TimesA.O. ScottAug 18, 2016
There is plenty of drama in a teenager’s everyday life — no need to sensationalize — and Morris From America feels true to both the pleasures and the frustrations of its title character. Read full review
88
New York PostKyle SmithAug 18, 2016
It’s a small movie, but in his third feature, indie writer-director Chad Hartigan proves he is a major talent, imbuing the interactions with wit and warmth and charm. Read full review
83
MTV NewsAmy NicholsonAug 18, 2016
Like most coming-of-age flicks, Morris From America tries too hard to make friends. At least its scenes of unearned triumph are balanced by embarrassing bits that hit emotional bullseyes. It’s so likable I wondered if I was a sap for enjoying it, so I watched it again and liked it more. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyAug 18, 2016
The definition of a crowd-pleaser. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnJan 31, 2016
The climax feels a bit under-realized, but never less than genuine. More than anything else, Morris From America excels at conveying the inherent power of companionship in a largely indifferent world. Read full review
83
The Film StageJordan RaupJan 31, 2016
A culturally specific story is being told, but the film’s familiar structure helps to add a commonality for any viewer. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzAug 25, 2016
Individually Christmas and Robinson are outstanding. Together they are even better, making Morris from America an unexpected treat. Read full review
80
Time OutJoshua RothkopfAug 18, 2016
A quiet, sneaky sense of dislocation vibrates through Chad Hartigan’s indie comedy, which contains so many ideas about race, child-rearing, fatherhood and accidental exoticism, that to call it a mere coming-of-age movie would be a shame. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenAug 18, 2016
Much like the father-son bond at its center, the comic drama is warmhearted but never cloying. Read full review
80
Village VoiceApril WolfeAug 17, 2016
In Chad Hartigan's lighthearted drama Morris From America, there are a whopping two African-American characters. The difference between this film and most others, however, is that these two are fully yet subtly drawn. They interact in ways that feel genuine, the actors portraying a heartfelt father-son relationship and the director fighting the urge to get either too preachy or mushy. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJan 31, 2016
This understated, generous film quietly sneaks up on you. Read full review
80
VarietyJustin ChangJan 31, 2016
This coming-of-age dramedy explores how the challenges of being young, black and misunderstood can be compounded in a foreign environment, but goes about it in a grounded, character-driven way that never smacks of manipulation or special pleading. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy BurrSep 8, 2016
While Morris From America trundles along familiar tracks, Hartigan’s eye for detail and individuality yields enough dividends to keep the film moving tartly and congenially along. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesMiriam Di NunzioAug 25, 2016
It is Christmas who steals every scene, and rightfully so. The teen actor is so engaging and endearing (despite his character’s penchant for foul language); his screen presence at such a young age is a wonder. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comAngelica Jade BastienAug 19, 2016
For black kids it's so much about the identities and misconceptions thrust upon them. Despite the film’s notable strengths, this is a careful distinction that writer/director Chad Hartigan misses, much to the film’s detriment. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Aug 17, 2016
Speaking of style and confidence, Morris From America constitutes a huge leap forward in both for writer-director Chad Hartigan, whose last feature, "This Is Martin Bonner," was about as minimal as American cinema gets. Read full review
75
TheWrapRuss FischerAug 16, 2016
Morris From America shines a deserved spotlight on Markees Christmas, who will hopefully be given more opportunities to command the screen, and it allows Craig Robinson a framework in which to deliver a career-best performance. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineJesse CataldoAug 15, 2016
Chad Hartigan's film is especially perceptive about the effect of external influence on personal development. Read full review
70
The New YorkerAnthony LaneAug 15, 2016
I gradually grew more interested in Curtis, who has his own solitude to cope with. This represents the first non-comic leading role for Robinson (moviegoers will know him from “Pineapple Express” and “Hot Tub Time Machine,” among other films), and he commands it with a gruff and amiable ease. Read full review
70
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganJan 31, 2016
Markees Christmas is an appealing, sensitive find as Morris, with Robinson striking all the rights notes as his struggling father. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijJan 31, 2016
Mostly lighthearted and, especially in its closing reels, rather clichéd, the character-driven film nonetheless manages to gently resist the temptation to turn into a full-throttle and heart-warming crowdpleaser. Read full review
67
ConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerJan 31, 2016
At points the film simply observes the smaller, more innocuous moments of a coming-of-age story; much of it is framed in intimate medium shots and close-ups, and there’s a distinct kinship between the numerous wayward souls in its world that carries it along. Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesJohn HartlAug 25, 2016
It’s disarmingly spirited, especially when its teen star, Markees Christmas, is sharing the screen with Craig Robinson. Read full review
63
Washington PostAnn HornadayAug 25, 2016
If the film’s pace is sometimes as awkward as its hero, and the story a little thin, it still brims with authentic life and affection for the characters (even the dubiously attentive Katrin). Read full review
60
ScreenCrushE. Oliver WhitneyAug 25, 2016
Morris From America is a sweet movie, but it doesn’t take us anywhere new. Its sincerity is admirable, but if Hartigan had dug a little deeper he could’ve captured something distinct and special. Read full review
60
The GuardianBrian MoylanJan 31, 2016
Ultimately, it’s a sweet movie with some good laughs and a phenomenal rap soundtrack, but it fails to rise above the pack. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoAug 25, 2016
In short, a nice, predictable film unlikely to linger in the memory. Read full review
42
The PlaylistSam FragosoJan 31, 2016
Focused on fetishizing rather than intimately depicting, director Chad Hartigan has produced a warm-hearted yarn that treats its two African-American leading men like props in his white-washed game of chess. Read full review
More From This Movie

75 Critic Reviews

6.8 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