Songbird
STX Films | Release Date (Streaming): December 11, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
27
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
0
Mixed:
4
Negative:
8
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawDec 10, 2020
Songbird is an acceptably watchable thriller that’s more notable for what it achieves technically than anything else. For many, the topical gimmick will prove irresistible but for others, it will be repellent, making the decision to avoid an expensive, anti-escapist rental all too easy. Either way, it’s headed to the history books. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperDec 10, 2020
We’ll eventually see dozens if not hundreds of projects using the pandemic as a plot point. Songbird will be among the least memorable. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayDec 10, 2020
Mason does a lot to make the characters’ distanced interactions — mostly via video chat — seem natural and not like a gimmick. But the real-world resonances are actually fairly dull. Though not especially objectionable, Songbird may suffer a worse fate: being forgettable. Read full review
40
IGNMatt FowlerDec 10, 2020
Grimy, "topical" pandemic adventure Songbird is pretty much D.O.A. It struggles to find life in its secluded settings while also, overall, just leaving a bad taste in your mouth. The love story never catches hold, the ensemble never gels, and the contrivances pile up beyond all repair. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzDec 17, 2020
Warning: If you are experiencing nausea, headache, fatigue or vomiting, you might have just watched Songbird. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckDec 10, 2020
Despite the high-stakes drama, there's nary a compelling moment throughout, and some of the characterizations, especially Stormare's villainous Sanitation Department honcho, are so absurdly one-note that it's hard not to think that the film is meant as parody. Read full review
30
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeDec 10, 2020
It’s not inherently misguided to use a current tragedy as the jumping-off point of a genre movie, but any filmmaker who decides to do so had better create something provocative or interesting or at least competent to justify it. Read full review
25
ConsequenceBlake GobleDec 11, 2020
Adam Mason’s Songbird is about boring people getting mad that they’re stuck inside, and the government is oppressing them, and they’ll soon fly free or whatever. Read full review
25
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyDec 10, 2020
It becomes clear early on that, despite its cheap thriller trappings, the film is headed only in the blandest direction, basically a love story of the kind traditionally told in commercials for tech companies and phones. Read full review
25
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanDec 10, 2020
I’ll say one other nice thing: The film isn’t terribly long. You’ll keep waiting for the suspense to kick in. Spoiler alert: It never really does, except feebly, after about an hour and 15 minutes. And then, unceremoniously, it’s over. Read full review
25
IndieWireDavid EhrlichDec 10, 2020
For all of its gimmicky appeal, Songbird is bad enough that your entire neighborhood will be able to smell it streaming onto your TV, and it gets worse faster than your nose can adjust to the stench. Read full review
0
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoDec 14, 2020
The truth is that even if one sets aside all potential moral arguments about the very existence of "Songbird," it's still just really bad. If you're going to make a movie this exploitative and gross, you really have to make it better to disguise the smell of it all. Read full review
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