Queen of Katwe
| Release Date: September 23, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 40 Critic Reviews
Positive:
35
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesA.O. ScottSep 22, 2016
In Ms. Nair’s hands, Phiona’s story has a richness and unpredictability that separates it from other, superficially similar movies. It also has the buoyant, cleareyed feel for the particulars of culture and place that is among this director’s great gifts. Read full review
90
TheWrapClaudia PuigSep 10, 2016
This humanistic tale, helmed by a masterful filmmaker, offers a potent — and yes, inspirational — story of triumph against huge odds. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsSep 22, 2016
Nair's film, her best in a long time, is hardly the first to use a chessboard as a symbol of one life's struggles. It is, however, one of the best. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldSep 22, 2016
Just try to resist the charms of Mira Nair’s Queen of Katwe, a triumph-of-the-human-spirit movie that’s ultimately, well, triumphant. Read full review
83
The VergeTasha RobinsonSep 23, 2016
Nair's film is a joyous triumph in the way it makes the story accessible, without losing sight of the specifics that make it not just a true story, but a complete and real one. Read full review
83
ConsequenceBlake GobleSep 21, 2016
Queen of Katwe shows that a film doesn’t have to give up on the tenets of genre, but has the potential to win big if it can enliven them in new ways. Read full review
80
CineVueMatthew AndersonNov 3, 2016
Nair gets the very finest from her cast and although like Phiona we can see a number of moves ahead, the director's graceful, heartfelt retelling of this miraculous story makes Queen of Katwe a wondrously uplifting film. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinNov 3, 2016
Put simply, you care about the Katwe kids because he does, and in the same way, too – not with high-strung melodramatic concern, but a warm glow of empathy in your gut. That’s stoked up in part by the film’s keen eye for telling, truthful-feeling detail. Read full review
80
EmpireOlly RichardsOct 17, 2016
Its plot isn’t going to win any prizes for originality, but Nair tells the story with immense warmth and cheer. You can see just about every move coming, but it’s making all the right ones. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternSep 22, 2016
It’s family entertainment in the freshest sense of the term, a biographical drama, based on a true story, that vibrates with more colors — emotional as well as visual — than I can name. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsStephen Whitty Sep 21, 2016
Although the script is a little flat — just because the story is true doesn't mean it should feel so predictable — Nair gives the film tons of energy and joy. Read full review
80
The GuardianCatherine ShoardSep 17, 2016
For what is, in essence, a by-numbers Disney sports flick, there’s endless freshness and vivacity to Mira Nair’s picture – her best in years. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonCath ClarkeSep 17, 2016
If you’re the person who watches weepies with a cynical curl of the lip, this isn’t the film for you. Everyone else, prepare to have your heartstrings plucked. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenSep 28, 2016
Rises above the usual underdog sports cliches to become something quite affecting and distinctive. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanSep 29, 2016
The honesty of the performances more than makes up for slight amounts of hokiness in the telling. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedSep 28, 2016
A rewarding family film indeed, at a time when we badly need one. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 28, 2016
It’s overlong and rarely surprising, but Nair skillfully plays the limited board this story gives her, a queen among filmmakers making all the right moves. Read full review
75
Tampa Bay TimesJimmy GeurtsSep 27, 2016
The film is able to overcome some of its narrative familiarity just by showcasing characters, locations and music we rarely see on screen. Having Monsoon Wedding director Mira Nair at the helm also brings a visual vibrancy and communal energy to the proceedings. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversSep 23, 2016
The British, Nigerian-born Oyelowo has proved himself an actor of extraordinary power in roles as diverse as Dr. Martin Luther King in "Selma" and the resentful son of a White House servant in "The Butler." As Robert, the actor radiates warm humor and quiet strength. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerSep 23, 2016
Well, it is shameless, and it tugs the heart in all the obvious places, but it has a winning vivaciousness and a trio of performances by its lead actors that transcend its “inspirational” niche. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniSep 22, 2016
This terrific film and its inspirational message have been filtered through an individualistic, American point of view, suggesting that anyone can make a better life for themselves if they are willing to work. And that's not the case everywhere. Read full review
75
USA TodayBrian TruittSep 22, 2016
There is no lack of Disney-fied melodrama, for sure, yet Queen fights through all that with outstanding acting, deft filmmaking choices and the introduction of a new talent in Madina Nalwanga. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineMatt BrennanSep 22, 2016
The film is a mere fulfillment of familiar tropes, but it approaches sports movie's conventions with a light, funk-inflected touch. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonSep 22, 2016
An inspiring but formulaic film about triumph over adversity. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy BurrSep 22, 2016
Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”) finally gets a movie role worthy of her status as an Oscar winner. She isn’t hidden behind pixels, as in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” or “The Jungle Book.” You can see her. She’s magnificent. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeSep 21, 2016
In some ways, the more novel element is the film’s depiction of chess, which in Katwe is a popular sport on the level of football. And while that might seem unlikely, it’s accurate, at least in the wake of Mutesi’s success. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperSep 21, 2016
This still works as a solid Disney sports movie because of the remarkable story, Mira Nair’s energetic and uplifting direction, and one of the most endearing casts I’ve enjoyed in any movie this year. Read full review
75
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodSep 17, 2016
The picture is genuinely entertaining and moving, but the fact it even exists in the first place is something you simply cannot dismiss. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoSep 13, 2016
It seems unlikely that Phiona Mutesi ever imagined her life would one day be the subject of a Disney film. But she certainly learned that life is full of surprises. When it comes to movie surprises, Queen of Katwe is a truly pleasant one. Read full review
70
ScreenCrushE. Oliver WhitneySep 27, 2016
It shirks the typical Disney model of an untouchable, picturesque fantasy by telling a more grounded, human story coursing with love and earnestness. Read full review
70
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoSep 22, 2016
Queen Of Katwe is pretty typical Disney magic, but dynamic performances add a little more oomph to Phiona Mutesi's amazing true story. Read full review
70
Village VoiceBilge EbiriSep 21, 2016
Nair's immersive, energetic style, combined with her talented cast's ability to invest even the most obvious lines with genuine feeling, gives Queen of Katwe a powerful clarity. Read full review
70
VarietyGeoff BerkshireSep 17, 2016
The film’s strongest assets are undoubtedly its actors. Read full review
63
New York PostSara StewartSep 22, 2016
Sometimes, it’s enough to walk out of a film with your heart warmed — even if your brain’s still craving a little something more. Read full review
63
Washington PostStephanie MerrySep 22, 2016
Subtlety isn’t the strong suit of Queen of Katwe. But beneath the hackneyed aphorisms, there’s a thrilling story worthy of our attention. Read full review
60
Total FilmJames MottramNov 2, 2016
While there’s sweetness, the big, sweeping emotions you hope for never quite arrive. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenSep 17, 2016
Even with director Mira Nair’s typically vivid sense of place and the charismatic central performances by David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong’o and a striking newcomer, the film hits every note of plucky positivity so squarely on the head that it leaves little room for audience involvement. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklySep 20, 2016
Nyong’o’s gravitas is undercut by a script teeming with wooden platitudes, special lessons learned, and the overbaked dialogue of a Joan Crawford melodrama. Read full review
58
IndieWireEric KohnSep 17, 2016
No amount of strong performances and good vibes can hide the sense that we’re just watching a paint-by-numbers routine. Nair puts so much effort into galvanizing the movie’s central figures that the slightest hints of conflict register as little more than an inconvenience. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 17, 2016
Perhaps it’s simplistic to say that director Mira Nair has fashioned a good-looking but Disney-fied version of actual events, and yet the studio’s predictably uplifting-at-all-costs blandness slowly but methodically drains the material of its richness. Read full review
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