Rob Peace
Republic Pictures | Release Date: August 16, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzAug 16, 2024
The entire thing has the tone of an elegy or memorial throughout, including the hero's voiceover, which has a resigned inevitability. It is also, to its credit, a movie that plays fair with the viewer, establishing very early that it's going to honor its subject matter by being complicated, because almost nobody's life can be interpreted just one way. Read full review
75
TheWrapRonda Racha PenriceAug 1, 2024
Rob Peace isn’t the story of an “Ivy League drug dealer”; it’s the story of a human being who deserved way better than what society gave him. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineJustin ClarkJan 29, 2024
The things that elevate Chiwetel Ejiofor’s film are those that elevated Rob Peace’s life overall. Read full review
70
VarietySiddhant AdlakhaAug 28, 2024
A sense of tangible intellect looms just beneath its surface — not only Rob’s supposed genius, but the movie’s own identity as political cinema. But it never quite unearths this, even though “Rob Peace” establishes Ejiofor as a director with a knack for dramatic storytelling, in a way his previous film could not. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeAug 1, 2024
While largely predictable in its approach, Ejiofor’s film still evokes a genuine emotional response thanks to strong performances from its cast, especially lead Jay Will. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBeandrea JulyAug 1, 2024
All told, the movie delivers a well-earned emotional gut punch that refreshingly does not come from perpetuating the physical and systemic violence it aims to shed light upon. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 15, 2024
Will, Ejiofor and Blige, as a mother who never wavers from what she sees as her primary duty, make this odyssey feel personal and the pitfalls we see coming and ever-mounting life tests seem surmountable if only this brilliant mind isn’t wasted by an America reluctant to embrace “Whatever hurts my brother hurts me.” Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleAug 19, 2024
Writer-director Chiwetel Ejiofor (following up his impressive 2019 directing debut, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”) proves more earnest than skillful at bringing heartfelt complexity to another tale of whiz-kid promise and resourcefulness. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeJul 31, 2024
Rob is turned from stereotype to person, thanks to Will’s incredible work and Ejiofor’s unwavering commitment to capturing a full life, supported by Rob’s mother off screen. It’s an involving yet troubling tribute. Read full review
58
The PlaylistMarshall ShafferJul 31, 2024
It does not take much imagination to imagine a version of “Rob Peace” where, given the room to sit with events, Rob’s journey provides a damning X-ray of American society’s shortsightedness. But far too often, the film settles for simply conveying information through dramatization. Read full review
58
IndieWireRyan LattanzioJul 31, 2024
If there’s any takeaway from “Rob Peace” for the industry folks in the audience, it’s the leading-man power and charisma of Jay Will, who gives an overwhelmingly heart-open performance that makes you understand why everyone in his midst adored him, and how his life’s richness lent well to a best-selling biography. Read full review
50
ColliderMartin TsaiAug 15, 2024
More often than not, Ejiofor bullet points the unfolding events rather than coalescing them into a dramatic arc. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob StraussAug 13, 2024
There are stretches when this true story can be a clunky inspirational piece about a young man who overcomes class and racial barriers to excel at science, business and helping his community. At regular intervals, though, it shifts to darker crime drama with dire themes of injustice and manipulation. The two moods don’t always transition smoothly, but each complements the other as they unfold. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonAug 1, 2024
Rob Peace is buoyed by Jay Will’s touching lead performance as the titular aspiring scientist, but the film struggles to bring coherence to this cautionary tale, ambitiously tackling several themes and tones but never quite bringing them together into an engrossing whole. Read full review
30
Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonJul 31, 2024
The saving grace of the film all comes down to Jay Will’s breakout performance. Rob Peace simply does not work without him. Will’s charisma and dedication towards showcasing the light that Rob was offers a comfort to me that this film as a whole failed to provide. Read full review
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