Prodigal Sons
First Run Features | Release Date: February 26, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleDavid Wiegand
Harrowing and unforgettable film. Read full review
85
NPRMark Jenkins
The movie is a curiosity, of course. Both Marc and Kim have decidedly unusual life stories. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
Prodigal Sons comes packed with multiple hooks. Aside from the sex-change angle, the movie takes a turn when Marc---whom Reed’s parents adopted before she was born--learns that he’s the biological son of Rebecca Welles, and the grandchild of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJeannette Catsoulis
A tale of two siblings -- one basking in memories, the other fleeing them -- Prodigal Sons grapples with identity through the prism of sibling rivalry. In the end its conclusions have little to do with gender and everything to do with acceptance. Read full review
80
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Sad, compelling documentary leaves a few key questions frustratingly unanswered, but the raw materials here are sufficiently bracing. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesSheri Linden
Reed insists on pursuing difficult questions, and this is a film not easily forgotten. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
There’s still enough to chew on to recommend the movie, not least the oddly touching sight of two siblings whose very identities have been altered by surgery. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Kimberly Reed’s debut documentary, Prodigal Sons, would make a terribly contrived novel, but is a compelling and sensational real-life story. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianStan Hall
Even if Prodigal Sons is ultimately more buildup than payoff, Reed is a nimble enough filmmaker to roll with unexpected developments and make poignant connections between her family's unremarkable past and its extraordinary, wrenching present. Read full review
70
Boxoffice MagazineEd Schied
The unexpected directions in their family dynamics and unflinching scenes of the volatile Marc keep Prodigal Sons absorbing. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
Despite its undeniably fascinating elements, Prodigal Sons attempts to deal with so many issues at once that it inevitably lacks focus. But there's no denying that it offers a hook that other similarly themed docs could only envy. Read full review
50
Village VoiceMelissa Anderson
As with most fam-cam documentaries, dysfunction pushes the story along, tipping over into exploitation. Read full review
40
Time OutKevin B. Lee
Instead of pushing deeper into any psychological dilemmas, this dirty-laundry doc gets lost in a sensationalistic flurry driven by a serious emotional unraveling. Read full review
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