The Climb
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: November 13, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
82
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
25
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Associated PressMark KennedyNov 12, 2020
Utterly original and utterly excellent, the modern bromance The Climb is a thrilling ride, an unconventional and idiosyncratic American film that acts like a old-school arty European one. Read full review
100
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternNov 12, 2020
It’s a beautiful film, a piece of absurdism that goes straight to the heart. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleMark KennedyNov 12, 2020
It’s just fantastic. Sorry, fantastique. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesCarlos AguilarNov 11, 2020
A masterpiece of bromantic woes, the movie subdues toxic masculinity and makes a case for men’s often dismissed necessity for platonic companionship. Read full review
100
RogerEbert.comNick AllenJan 25, 2020
Covino’s film is an exhilarating anomaly, if not a wake-up call for the visual potential of heartfelt comedy. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Nov 11, 2020
There are no sentimental easy answers or shortcuts to uplift in this unusually prickly buddy comedy. Like Kyle and Mike, it just keeps peddling forward, in the hope that some kind of clarity might materialize at the top of the hill. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Nov 11, 2020
There are no sentimental easy answers or shortcuts to uplift in this unusually prickly buddy comedy. Like Kyle and Mike, it just keeps peddling forward, in the hope that some kind of clarity might materialize at the top of the hill. Read full review
91
IndieWireEric KohnMay 20, 2019
This sharp two-hander veers from caustic to sweet with acrobatic filmmaking to spare. Read full review
91
The PlaylistCaroline TsaiMay 20, 2019
In short, the driving factor of Covino’s relentlessly funny, affecting comedy is neither cinematographic ingenuity, nor its tongue-in-cheek facetiousness, though these elements surely help. No, what’s most persuasive about Kyle and Mike is, simply put, Kyle and Mike themselves. Read full review
90
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriNov 13, 2020
The scene that kicks off The Climb is by far the best thing in the entire movie, but don’t hold that against the picture — the rest of it is pretty great, too. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattNov 14, 2020
And for all the absurdist laughs (and not a few cringes) both men wring from it, their interplay feels both inherently ridiculous and entirely true to life; a bittersweet bromance writ in whiskey and spandex. Read full review
83
Original-CinKim HughesNov 12, 2020
Strong performances abound while sly and sometimes slapstick comedy lightens the more intense themes of betrayal and vengeance. Read full review
83
The Film StageRory O'ConnorJun 6, 2019
For better than worse, Covino directs it to within an inch of its life, presenting the modest narrative as a series of meticulously choreographed vignettes; each shot in what appears to be a single take. Read full review
80
Rolling StoneK. Austin CollinsNov 19, 2020
The movie sometimes feels a little caught up in its own virtuosity. But the actors, Covino and Marvin — a sentient grenade and spineless but loving worm, respectively — keep it lively and make it meaningful. If the movie succeeds in surpassing the exercise it easily could have been, it’s because of them. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Simran HansOct 29, 2020
The film is shrewd on male friendship, suggesting that a lot of men are vulnerable and crave intimacy, but are often too poor at communicating to truly reach for it. Read full review
80
EmpireIan FreerOct 23, 2020
Superbly written and performed by actual friends Kyle Marvin and Michael Angelo Covino, The Climb is a smart, funny, small-scale delight. More please. Read full review
80
The GuardianCath ClarkeOct 21, 2020
Tragedy and slapstick run through the film and it is very funny. Read full review
80
CineVueJohn BleasdaleMay 28, 2019
Covino’s brilliant comedy is original and smartly entertaining: a celebration of male friendship in all its ups and downs. Read full review
80
VarietyGuy LodgeMay 20, 2019
Beautifully written and performed by the director and real-life BFF Kyle Marvin, Covino’s film gets precisely the balance of dependency and denial that keeps a bad bromance afloat. Read full review
80
Screen DailyJonathan RomneyMay 20, 2019
Kuperstein’s roaming camera may sometimes overwhelm the film with its artful choreography, but generally manages to take the viewer by surprise – as does a comic narrative which constantly takes unexpected turns. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerMay 20, 2019
The script intelligently dishes out key information in each vignette, with the scenes separated by major narrative ellipses that force the viewer to work a little in order to figure things out. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 9, 2020
The Climb invites us along for the ride and keeps our interest, whether or not love or bromance, as they say, finds a way. Read full review
75
Slant MagazinePat BrownNov 7, 2020
The film slides seamlessly between empathizing with its clueless bros and making them objects of unsparing derision. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerSep 10, 2019
Cleverly structured and popping with realistic dialogue, The Climb is a bromance comedy of uncommonly high aspirations. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrNov 12, 2020
As The Climb wends its way through the years, and as the friends’ relationships with each other and their girlfriends and families take multiple turns, each “chapter” is presented in smartly thought-out single takes. Except when they’re not; it’s a tough gimmick to sustain and the filmmakers don’t seem too intent on trying. Read full review
40
The New York TimesA.O. ScottNov 12, 2020
Rather than ascending to new heights of bromance, The Climb coasts down into the barren flatlands of masculine self-pity. Read full review
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