The Sapphires
Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: March 22, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallMay 8, 2013
A feel-good movie in the most positive meaning of that term, thanks to the Motown music and O'Dowd's cheeky charm. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyMar 20, 2013
The Sapphires is a movie for your heart (and your ears and moneymaker), not your head. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianM. E. RussellMar 8, 2013
The movie unfolds in the uplifting manner you'd expect, but its real pleasures lie in its terrific '60s pop-soul soundtrack and especially in its frequently funny performances. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzApr 4, 2013
It’s nearly impossible to sit through The Sapphires without a smile on your face. It’s a little shallow, sure, but, as with the girls’ troubles, when they open their mouths to sing everything feels like it’s going to be all right. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMar 21, 2013
The Sapphires isn't flawless, but who cares? It's a joyous affair that's distinguished by its music, and by the buoyant spirit of its stars. Read full review
80
EmpireAnna SmithMar 3, 2013
There are undeniable flaws, from cheesy dialogue to neglected subplots. But there’s something so lovable about The Sapphires’ enthusiasm, and powerful about its moments of tenderness. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterMegan LehmannMar 3, 2013
An exuberant celebration of Aboriginality that fizzes with humor and heart; its soulfulness goes beyond the embrace of a jukebox full of Motown, Stax and Atlantic Records hits. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldConnie OgleApr 4, 2013
This mostly upbeat crowd-pleaser soothes the audience with glistening harmonies and familiar songs and doesn’t always handle the ugly past simmering just below its surface gracefully. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Michael PosnerApr 4, 2013
The group’s lead singer is Julie (Jessica Mauboy, an Australian R&B singer and runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol). You could drive an Abrams tank through the film’s plot holes, but you’ll likely be too busy enjoying yourself to bother. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesNell MinowMar 27, 2013
The Sapphires is clearly a labor of love for all involved. It's also a warm tribute to four women for whom success as performers was just the beginning. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigMar 22, 2013
A potent combination of rousing music, appealing performances and an uplifting story renders this film-festival favorite nearly impossible to resist. Read full review
75
New York PostSara StewartMar 22, 2013
The upstart Sapphires are a smash to watch as they cover soul tunes like “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “What a Man” and “I Can’t Help Myself.” Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversMar 21, 2013
You could call it an Aussie "Dreamgirls." I'd call it a blast of joy and music that struts right into your heart. Read full review
70
Village VoiceChuck WilsonMar 24, 2013
First-time director Wayne Blair and screenwriters Keith Thompson and Tony Briggs, adapting Briggs’ stage play, don’t shy away from the era’s social complexities, but they keep their eye on the ball, which in this case is the sweet pull of soul tune harmony. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottMar 21, 2013
The raggedness of The Sapphires can’t be separated from its exuberant charm. Like the Sapphires themselves, the film is determined to muscle its way into your heart, which would have to be a lump of gristle to resist it. Read full review
70
VarietyGuy LodgeMar 15, 2013
Soul music’s alleged redemptive powers are fully at work in this jumbled, sketchily written but vastly appealing true-life musical comedy. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenApr 10, 2013
Exuberant but fairly formulaic. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubNathan RabinMar 20, 2013
The emotions of soul music are irresistibly universal. The same is true of soul-music clichés. Based on a true story, The Sapphires tells the tale of four ambitious young Aboriginal girls from Australia who come of age performing before American serviceman in 1968 Vietnam. And yet the film is afflicted by a curious lack of cultural specificity. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsApr 4, 2013
Draining most of the blood, sweat and tears from a true story, this music-minded movie capably covers a song we’ve heard a hundred times before. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrMar 28, 2013
The movie has the indulgent fondness of a gift from a son to his talented mum and aunties. But it also feels the funk, and that’s what counts. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsMar 28, 2013
The script is corny and cliched and goes the way you expect it to go. But those things never stopped any movie from working with an audience. Read full review
63
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMar 19, 2013
There’s more than a hint of the ‘90s Roddy Doyle adaptation “The Commitments” in all this – people far removed from Memphis and Detroit connecting to soul music on a spiritual level. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawMar 3, 2013
It's an amiable film with some great musical moments and the classic "growing success" montage showing them on the road in south-east Asia. On music, identity and race, the film has a big beating heart in the right place. Read full review
60
Total FilmEllen E JonesMar 3, 2013
A feelgooder spiced by social conscience, this is one of those underdog productions with potential to punch well above its weight. Read full review
58
Film.comStephanie ZacharekMar 25, 2013
The Sapphires may be your stock triumph-over-adversity show-biz story – but then, how is it that we never get tired of seeing that story? Read full review
58
IndieWireEric KohnMar 3, 2013
Marred by excessive sentiment, it has a buoyancy and a hook that makes it stand out -- but they're elements that would help it kill on Broadway (as it already has on the Australian stage) a lot better than it does onscreen. Read full review
58
The PlaylistKevin JagernauthMar 3, 2013
It's enjoyable and toe-tapping for what it is, but it's also extremely lightweight stuff. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaMar 28, 2013
A sloppy, sentimental story line and pivotal plot turns that are only sketchily realized undermine the life-on-the-road misadventures. Read full review
40
Time OutSam AdamsMar 19, 2013
The Sapphires might pass muster as escapist fluff, but its pretensions of significance go woefully awry. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineMar 19, 2013
Wayne Blair isn't interested in historical complexity or subtext, just the seamless flow of Hollywood-style storytelling that lazily connects one musical number to the next. Read full review
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