Radical
Pantelion Films | Release Date: November 3, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
RogerEbert.comNell MinowNov 1, 2023
As Sergio and Chucho share the names of the teachers who inspired them, we see Chucho begin to reconnect with what led him to become an educator. If we are lucky, we have at least one teacher in our past who showed us what we are capable of. If not, Sergio can help remind us that it is never too late. Read full review
88
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiJan 28, 2023
The well-known story beats are also given renewed vitality by the young actors, whom director Christopher Zalla expertly steers away from being typical overemoting movie kids. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeAug 22, 2024
Derbez is very likable, if a little too prone to moments of moist-eyed pathos, but the young actors are phenomenal – in particular Jennifer Trejo as Paloma, the litter-picker with a genius IQ, and Danilo Guardiola as Nico, the class clown in the clutches of the cartel. Read full review
80
SlashfilmEthan AndertonJan 28, 2023
Radical doesn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to what we've come to expect from teaching dramas. The movie's message may not be profound or revelatory either, but that doesn't keep this from being an uplifting story full of hope and heart. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiNov 1, 2023
Radical may hit all the requisite narrative arcs, but it does so with a level of nuance and examination that other films of this type either gloss over or ignore entirely. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonNov 1, 2023
Radical follows a predictable formula, and Derbez, a major star in Mexico whose last American projects were the Hulu film “The Valet” and the Apple TV+ series “Acapulco,” lifts the material with his typical vibrant energy. Read full review
75
The Associated PressJake CoyleNov 1, 2023
While Radical, an audience winner at the Sundance Film Festival, is formulaic in its approach, it gets enough out of it likable cast to earn at least a passing grade. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinNov 3, 2023
If the script can sometimes feel a tad pro forma, the film still proves an authentically moving and involving crowd-pleaser. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJan 28, 2023
Writer-director Christopher Zalla adheres to the subgenre’s conventions and doesn’t stint on sentimentality, but Radical more than earns its surging emotional payoff. Read full review
70
VarietyTomris LafflyJan 28, 2023
Radical isn’t so much an irresponsibly magical against-the-odds yarn as a truthful one, in which a well-intentioned outsider can only go so far in protecting underprivileged students from certain grim paths. Read full review
70
Screen DailyTim GriersonJan 28, 2023
Boosted by some lovely performances from its young actors, writer-director Christopher Zalla’s sometimes-creaky feel-good film is most affecting when it explores how some children can have their future taken away only too soon. Read full review
70
Screen RantTatiana HullenderJan 28, 2023
The strength of the story rests firmly in Derbez's sensitive portrayal and his touching moments with each student, proving that Sergio does know how to spark a genuine excitement for education by tapping into a child's personal interests. Read full review
67
IndieWireCarlos AguilarJan 28, 2023
Radical can’t escape a formulaic construction with scenes that pack a predictably saccharine punch (see: kids rushing to hug their beloved teacher once he has proven himself an ally). And yet, as unsubtle as the story beats tend to march on, the backdrop of poverty and hopelessness make the light that Derbez’s character brings into the classroom, and in turn into the youths’ lives, earned. Read full review
63
Washington PostPat PaduaOct 31, 2023
Like Sergio’s unusual modus operandi, Radical takes some time to click, its first half as unstructured as Sergio’s classroom. But at about the halfway point, when the kids discover the excitement of learning, it becomes as thrilling as any blockbuster. Read full review
60
The GuardianLeslie FelperinAug 6, 2024
Despite those based-on-a-true-story bona fides, the script is taut as piano wire, strings of inciting incidents strung like steel cables between concrete coincidences, ironies and tragedy. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 14, 2023
Good performances by Derbez and the kids recommend Radical. But wading through the cliches of the genre and stumbling towards that inevitable feel-good finale — blowing any “highs” the picture might celebrate, make it hard to recommend. Read full review
50
The New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanNov 2, 2023
Despite its foundation in reality, Radical is as by the books as it gets. Read full review
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