The Reluctant Fundamentalist
IFC Films | Release Date: April 26, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
13
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMay 9, 2013
The Reluctant Fundamentalist will likely make some people mad because of the way it holds the United States responsible for the repercussions of its actions in the world. Like Changez himself, the film has a complicated relationship with the superpower. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMay 2, 2013
Deliberately ambiguous, The Reluctant Fundamentalist provides just enough answers while leaving us with more than enough questions. It's a film that demands discussion afterward. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerApr 26, 2013
Timeliness is certainly on the side of Mira Nair’s uneven but fascinating The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comOmer M. MozaffarJun 11, 2013
Nair has made a very smart film, whose ambitions sometimes exceed the piece's depths. Read full review
75
NPRElla TaylorApr 25, 2013
Nair likes to have fun even when her material is somber, and for this movie she deploys a rich palette and a multi-culti but mostly kitsch-free score that fuses old and new with a lovely Sufi devotional piece, and is peppered with Pakistani pop. Read full review
70
TimeRichard CorlissApr 29, 2013
Nair sleekly manages the story’s thriller aspects, especially the kidnapping. But this is a character study, and she has found some superb actors to fill it. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranApr 25, 2013
The result inevitably pushes too hard at times and can't help but stray into melodrama, yet the film does an admirable job of transplanting the novel's thoughtful concerns into a fast-moving suspense context. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJonathan KieferApr 23, 2013
At times it's dense and sluggish, too much like a novel. But there is some exhilaration to be had. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianMarc MohanMay 9, 2013
Since the revelation of Wall Street's culpability for the 2008 economic crisis, though, the arc of Changez's transformation feels almost clichéd, despite Ahmed's earnest, effective performance. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubSam AdamsApr 24, 2013
This might be the best week for The Reluctant Fundamentalist to open or the worst, but the timing doesn’t matter when the powder is damp. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaMay 9, 2013
Despite the charismatic efforts of the British actor Ahmed, The Reluctant Fundamentalist gets bogged down in proselytizing and plot. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrMay 9, 2013
It’s a simple story, really, but Nair mucks it up with the hot-button suspense of the framing scenes: surging crowds and rooftop standoffs, panicky cellphone calls and crackling walkie-talkies. Read full review
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