National Anthem
Variance Films | Release Date: July 12, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisJul 10, 2024
It’s a potent and timely slice of Americana. Read full review
85
Paste MagazineAurora AmidonMar 17, 2023
The beauty of National Anthem is that it effortlessly challenges all expectations and preconceived notions. Read full review
83
Original-CinChris KnightJul 18, 2024
What National Anthem lacks in spectacle it more than makes up for in quiet moments of beauty, tenderness and heartache. Read full review
83
The Film StageJake Kring-SchreifelsMar 17, 2023
It’s exciting to see a debut so self-assured and comfortable in its own sun-baked skin. Read full review
80
Little White LiesEmily MaskellDec 12, 2024
Gilford’s tale of chosen family awash with bright blues and reds maintains a bold sense of hopefulness at a time when America’s LGBTQ+ population is bracing for the worst. Read full review
80
Film ThreatSabina Dana PlasseMar 23, 2023
Gilford’s National Anthem offers a sense of beauty to behold and accept. It is visually stunning and a complete story everyone can understand, with great drag performances and other spectacles that make this film memorable. Read full review
80
SlashfilmErin BradyMar 17, 2023
From the impressive cinematography to its refreshingly non-pandering script, Gilford further proves himself to be a powerful voice in modern queer art. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 24, 2024
Park and Lively give this novel yet familiar story its heart and weight, each offering support when guidance won’t do. Read full review
75
Washington PostTy BurrJul 18, 2024
National Anthem is that rarity, a genuinely sensual American movie, and in that sensuality it connects its characters to the transcendence and union promised by Emerson, Whitman, Melville and all the rest of our country’s great literary dreamers. Read full review
75
IndieWireRyan LattanzioJul 16, 2024
National Anthem is high on mood and feeling rather than story. This very horny queer Western is a rush of sensory pleasures, from the reddened, rust-colored rocks of New Mexico as captured by cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi to a killer soundtrack featuring the likes of Angel Olsen, Perfume Genius, Susanne Sundfør, and Spiritualized. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyJul 12, 2024
The theme is present in every frame. Gilford's affection for the characters is clear. I'm happy to have met them, to have been welcomed into their world for a short time. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMar 17, 2023
The film is a little wispy, too often slapping another song on another dreamy sequence rather than giving us more intimate access to the main characters — let alone the secondary figures who make up the tight-knit queer family, most of whom don’t even get names. But the authenticity and distinctiveness of the milieu keep it involving. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerJul 11, 2024
It’s not a grand landscape but a small portrait of wistfulness and wanting in the West, fluttering and touching. Read full review
67
ColliderNate RichardMar 17, 2023
National Anthem may at times feel a bit too simple, but the craftsmanship and the core performances are enough to make it worth a watch. Read full review
63
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenNov 21, 2024
Plummer, so good in Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete (another horse movie of a sort), shines here, especially in one of those final shots that holds on an actor’s face and asks them to seal the movie’s deal. Plummer does, with flying colors. Read full review
63
The Associated PressKrysta FauriaJul 10, 2024
More than anything, Gilford’s film ought to be lauded for the way it continues telling a story about a subculture that few know exist. Read full review
More From This Movie

71 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL