Shanghai Calling
Release Date: February 8, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
4
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleFeb 12, 2013
As for the story, it's in some ways inevitable, but it has enough barbs and curves to keep it new. The smartest touch is that the young lawyer is, as a moral entity, a work in progress. Read full review
70
The New York TimesAndy WebsterFeb 14, 2013
Though Mr. Hsia, a television alumnus who also wrote the script, has created a somewhat predictable story infused with stereotypes old and new, he gains mileage from light humor, buoyant energy and some appealing performers. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleFeb 14, 2013
Hsia has an appealingly slick visual style for the fast-paced if predictable turns in Sam's story, shooting the gleaming, bustling Shanghai as if it had finally earned its big-Hollywood-romantic-comedy stripes as a setting for the usual fish-out-of-water jokes, broad humor, meet-cutes, silly coincidences and happy endings. Read full review
50
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeFeb 13, 2013
At its best, Shanghai Calling is mildly diverting. Read full review
50
ObserverRex ReedFeb 12, 2013
As the narrative builds, the movie shows how the harassed and impatient Chinese-American finds tolerance, acceptance of others, inner salvation and love. A lot for one movie to negotiate, not always successfully, but the enjoyment factor is obvious. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanFeb 15, 2013
The movie wants to say something significant about the excitement and alienation of life in a strange — which is to say, new — place. The film never gets there, but its aims are honorable, and the lovingly shot Shanghai scenery does enhance the trip. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineKenji FujishimaFeb 13, 2013
If you prefer your social commentary in the form of a glorified sitcom with broad humor and even broader caricatures, look no further. Read full review
20
Village VoiceNick SchagerFeb 12, 2013
Shanghai Calling eventually reveals itself to be just another stale tale about the virtue of morality over ambition. Read full review
20
Time OutMatt SingerFeb 12, 2013
Through it all, Henney is an appealing screen presence, but he’s trapped in a movie that puts regurgitated sitcom shtick and regional economic boosterism ahead of character and humor. Read full review
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