Standing Tall
Cohen Media Group | Release Date: April 1, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
8
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
The Film StageEli HayesMar 28, 2016
Bercot is able to craft a believable arc within her protagonist, allowing for a gradual character progression rather than one that is abrupt and difficult to reckon with. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen HoldenMar 31, 2016
Mr. Paradot’s performance is so viscerally intense that there is no escaping its force. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerAug 18, 2016
In a smartly written, evenly wrought drama, the newly discovered wunderkind Rod Paradot stunningly portrays a troubled youth who makes Eminem’s 8 Mile protagonist look like a boy scout in comparison. Read full review
75
Washington PostMark JenkinsApr 7, 2016
Standing Tall is indeed tough going, yet it’s illuminating and ultimately even a bit hopeful. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedMar 31, 2016
Equally touching and disturbing, the French film Standing Tall is an outstanding work of social realism by actress and writer-turned-director Emmanuelle Bercot. Read full review
75
IndieWireEric KohnMar 28, 2016
Bercot's solidly engaging if fairly routine social-realist drama mainly stands out as an actor's showcase. Read full review
70
Village VoiceLuke Y. ThompsonMar 30, 2016
Paradot exposes every last nerve and manages to be appropriately sensitive and confused between outbursts of rage. He benefits, too, from direction (by On My Way's Emmanuelle Bercot) that's unafraid to make Malony look terrible. Read full review
70
Screen DailyJonathan RomneyMar 28, 2016
Standing Tall can’t be faulted for energy and for seriousness - and offers a rare case of a troubled-teen drama in which the justice system is seen as entirely benevolent, and a source of succour to troubled souls. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeMar 28, 2016
Bercot studiously avoids the sort of catharsis-oriented pop psychology the genre so often peddles. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenApr 1, 2016
If director Emmanuelle Bercot's feature isn't always dramatically satisfying, it is fueled by the fine, flinty chemistry of Catherine Deneuve, Benoît Magimel and newcomer Rod Paradot. Read full review
60
The TelegraphRobbie CollinMar 28, 2016
The film has a scrappy optimism about it that’s often very winning, but it never draws itself up to its full height. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawMar 28, 2016
It is a high-minded, often touching movie which replaces the nihilism and miserabilism often to be found in social realism, and replaces them with a positive vision of what the state can – and can’t – do to help. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerMar 28, 2016
The powerful turns don’t necessarily build towards a satisfying conclusion, in a film that starts off strong but can’t always decide whether it wants to keep it real or give viewers the sort of movie moments found in less-inventive dramas. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloMar 30, 2016
A non-professional making his screen debut, Paradot serves up plenty of volatility, but he never quite succeeds in making Malony seem like a kid with real potential that’s being squandered. Read full review
58
HitfixGregory EllwoodMar 28, 2016
While Bercot's intentions are admirable, she and co-screenwriter Marcia Romano have conjured up too many moments that play out like thousands of courtroom scenes you've seen before. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaApr 7, 2016
Simply falls short. Read full review
50
The PlaylistOliver LytteltonMar 28, 2016
Bercot's setting out to make both a character study of a troubled young man wasting his potential, and an examination of a system trying desperately to do right by its charges, despite the immense difficulties and occasional bureaucratic red tape that tie their hands. It's more successful at the latter than at the former. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineClayton DillardMar 28, 2016
The film quickly devolves into a contemptible, exploitative presentation of sociological matters. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleApr 13, 2016
It’s a preening piece of work, aiming to flatter and please, while masquerading as something hard-hitting and daring. And because of all that, it’s a bore. Read full review
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