The Kite Runner
Paramount Vantage | Release Date: December 14, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
13
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Like "House of Sand and Fog" and "Man Push Cart," it helps us to understand that the newcomers among us come from somewhere and are somebody. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
At times brutal, at times touching, the movie stands out as one of the better "prestige" productions offered for cinematic consumption during the waning weeks of 2007. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Whatever our misfortune, The Kite Runner says, sometimes we are fortunate enough to get a second chance to make amends for a first mistake. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
In the main, this is powerful and comely filmmaking, and the decision to shoot it with virtually unknown actors and a variety of unfamiliar tongues is commendable. Read full review
80
VarietyAlissa Simon
While the largely unknown cast and subtitled dialogue may present a marketing challenge, they also create a feeling of authenticity in this poignant, intimate epic, which should attract a strong following among discerning audiences. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
The Afghan boys’ kite-flying contests are the emotional core of the film, and Forster and his crew bring the camera into the sky and make it dip and soar along with the kites. It’s a thrilling spectacle, although it’s also tinged with a peculiarly emasculating aggression. Read full review
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
For all the pain and loss that The Kite Runner depicts, it is still a film of exhilarating, redemptive humanity, conveying an enduring sense of hope. Read full review
80
TimeRichard Schickel
This is a confident and honorable movie -- and a gripping one. Read full review
80
EmpireDan Jolin
An engaging melodrama whose less convincing plot points are superseded by some astonishingly affecting performances from the mostly unknown cast. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Both boys give such heart-rending performances that fear of reprisals for participating in the scene persuaded the studio to postpone the film's release to give them time to leave Kabul. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
In making a movie about the hot mess of Afghan history, a sense of reserve turns out to be a useful tool for peace. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
A compelling and uplifting tale that exposes the viewer to an unfamiliar, fascinating culture and a family dynamic that is recognizable and nuanced. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
The movie doesn't have the heart of the book, but it does have a solid mechanical pump, strong enough at least to keep a robust story on two-hour life support. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
It's what Hollywood calls a 'tweener - not quite edgy or artistic enough to satisfy the art-house crowd, but a tough sell for family audiences because of its extensive subtitles, two-hour-plus running time, and a (tastefully rendered) male rape scene. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
The book's emotional passages have the power to move us on film, while the one ridiculous coincidence near the end is still ridiculous. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
This is one of those stories that, on some primal level, goes straight to the heart. Be aware that the film features a child rape scene. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
he Kite Runner lives in the galvanic performances of two young Afghan actors, Zekeria Ebrahimi and Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada. They bring home the torment of Afghan life before and after the Taliban and, just as important, the resilience of children everywhere. Read full review
70
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Forster's solid, unpretentious movie hits its marks squarely, and isn't afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve. Only a mighty tough viewer could fail to be moved. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Only a qualified success. It suffers in its transition from page to film, and my guess is that its devoted fan base will think the adaptation misses the mark by more than a few inches. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
This is an eye-opening story that doesn't quite hold together as a movie, but it deals with honor in men's lives in ways rare to mainstream film. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
I'm of two minds about this. A movie that held on to all the breathless tearjerkery of the novel would probably have to star Bette Davis as Amir, but as amended by Forster the story is now touching and somewhat dull. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
The Kite Runner is a house divided against itself. The Marc Forster-directed version of the Khaled Hosseini novel does one part of the story so well that its success underlines what's lacking in what remains. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
While not autobiographical, The Kite Runner feels authentic in its ethnic tensions, even when the narrative itself, with its handily reappearing and easily avenged villain, undermines that authenticity. Read full review
50
The New YorkerDavid Denby
The movie’s heart is certainly in the right place--it’s a quietly outraged work--but I wish there were more excitement in it from moment to moment. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
It's okay to be manipulated, so long as you don't feel the strings being pulled. Here the tug is constant, and constantly distracting. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
The only reliable source of energy is Homayoun Ershadi, a powerful actor who plays Baba, Amir's Westernized father. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
I'd recommend this, but only if you liked "The English Patient." Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
In real life the opportunity to make amends is rare, though the attempt may produce great art. In The Kite Runner, we get neither. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
The terseness of Hosseini's prose has been replaced by the sentimentality of the director's approach. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleSteve Davis
An example of how good intentions don’t necessarily make for a good movie. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
The Kite Runner is earnest and sentimental and formulaic and obvious. Watching it, I could understand the fuss over Khaled Hosseini's bestselling novel, but the film didn't make me want to read it. That's not a slam against the book, but a way of illustrating just how literal and bland the film adaptation turned out. Read full review
40
Village VoiceElla Taylor
A drama as bland and beige as its tasteful palette. Read full review
40
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
What results is a patchy, uncertain motion picture, full of incidents and images but fundamentally unfocused and superficial. Read full review
40
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Mr. Forster, who previously directed “Monster’s Ball” and “Finding Neverland,” has been soundly defeated by The Kite Runner. Despite the film’s far-flung locations (it was shot primarily in China), there is remarkably little of visual interest here; the setups are banal, and the scenes lack tension, which no amount of editing can provide. Read full review
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