The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete
Lionsgate | Release Date: October 11, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
New York PostSara StewartOct 11, 2013
Though it boasts an eye-catching roster of supporting performances — Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Jeffrey Wright, Anthony Mackie — most of the running time is spent with Mister (Skylan Brooks) and Pete (Ethan Dizon), and both child actors hold your attention impressively. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigOct 10, 2013
Director George Tillman Jr. compellingly probes how parentless kids cope without financial resources or adults who give a damn. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanOct 10, 2013
Under the direction of George Tillman Jr., these two young performers exercise remarkable restraint, never milking the material for unearned tears. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisOct 10, 2013
[Mr.Tillman] does lovely work here, particularly with the actors, even if his insistent ebullience can feel like a sales pitch. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyOct 10, 2013
It is an imperfect film about this imperfect world. But if "Mister & Pete" doesn't make you rethink the social safety net that fails these kids, and so many others like them, book some time with a cardiologist. Read full review
70
The DissolveNathan RabinOct 9, 2013
The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister & Pete is a raw, often moving coming-of-age story. Read full review
70
Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekOct 8, 2013
Tillman is clumsy in his handling of a few scenes, and considering what these kids are up against—junkie moms, drug-dealing pimp neighbors—the ending might be a little too implausibly upbeat. But Tillman seems to know that we need to go home feeling hope for Mister and Pete, who, it turns out, aren't so easily defeated. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesBill StametsOct 15, 2013
Stylistically, this saga of survival never aims for urban neo-realism. Yet, as sentimental humanism, it shows laudable taste in dodging the usual indulgent touches and turns when lost kids find their way. Read full review
63
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreOct 10, 2013
A rough and rough around the edges tale of children growing up on the mean streets of the wrong side of Brooklyn. It’s a coming of age story of a self-absorbed, downtrodden punk with a dream who learns about the love that comes with responsibility. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierOct 11, 2013
Michael Starrbury’s astute script draws us in slowly, depicting the realities of Mister and Pete’s lives in progressive reveals. Read full review
60
Time OutSam AdamsOct 8, 2013
Like its title, Inevitable Defeat is simultaneously gritty and overstuffed, feeling more like the product of first-time screenwriter Michael Starrbury than veteran director George Tillman Jr., though that’s not always for the worse. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyOct 9, 2013
In general, Mister & Pete succeeds with this sort of narrative small stuff, establishing the housing project’s internal mythology as well as the tricky dynamics of its underworld. Read full review
58
IndieWireEric KohnOct 8, 2013
While not without its touching moments, "Mister and Pete" is inevitably defeated by its own good intentions. Read full review
50
The PlaylistCharlie SchmidlinOct 22, 2013
A wonderful document of inner-city oppression and two young actors' beginning steps, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete struggles to establish a cohesive center, and ultimately fumbles any tension on the path toward its title's possible fate. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiOct 11, 2013
The end result proves to be as awkward as its title thanks to its uneven screenplay and tone, and questionable casting in supporting parts. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyAug 23, 2013
The real defeat in this ambling fairy tale of hardship, abandonment and resilience is that two potentially winning central characters -- and the tender young actors who play them -- are let down by a programmed screenplay that’s short on narrative muscle. Read full review
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