The Yellow Handkerchief
Samuel Goldwyn Films | Release Date: February 26, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
New York PostLou Lumenick
The Yellow Handkerchief tells a timeless fable, and tells it extremely well. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Cohn has assembled a quartet of gifted actors who are captivating under Prasad's perceptive direction. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
The first half of The Yellow Handkerchief is the half-movie of the year, and the rest isn’t bad--just more sentimental, more ordinary. Read full review
75
ObserverRex Reed
Wonderful, honest and low-key performances inform and enhance The Yellow Handkerchief, an otherwise unexceptional little drama. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The formula is obvious, but the story, curiously, turns out to be based on fact. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
A surprisingly moving drama - a throwback to the small, character-driven indies of yesteryear. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
The performances are what put it over -- that and the observant camera of director Udayan Prasad. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
This trio of losers somehow forms a kind of loony family. Like the one in "Little Miss Sunshine," which also used the metaphor of a broken-down car to drive home its point, the interpersonal dynamics are out of whack, but not unworkable. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
Given the stormy milieu, The Yellow Handkerchief could have been a sordid slice of life or a maudlin metaphor. But the unhurried direction of Udayan Prasad and the unafraid choices of the sure-footed cast keep this character-driven drama afloat. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Four terrific performances make the transition to a U.S. setting go smoothly for British director Udayan Prasad. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter Debruge
A thoughtful, niche-oriented portrait of four off-the-beaten-path characters trying to find their way. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAaron Hillis
All three leads are solidly convincing in their candor. And Oscar-winning cinematographer Chris Menges (The Mission) shoots the hell out of the swampy South to make for a nontoxic diversion. Read full review
70
NPRBob Mondello
Redmayne is hugely persuasive as a redneck geek -- you'd never guess he's a Brit with credits in classical theater. Read full review
70
TimeMary Pols
As for the yellow handkerchief of the title, I'd have dismissed it as a cheesy device if it weren't for the fact that I'm still cherishing the eloquence of Hurt's silent marvel when he finally sees it, fluttering across the gray Southern sky. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorAndy Klein
A sensitive, nicely made character drama. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Here the fascination is Hurt, so deft at steering his character away from booby-trap clichés that he guides his young costars safely out of sap's way and brightens an otherwise very yellowed tale. Read full review
63
Orlando SentinelRoger Moore
The title’s a trite metaphor and the surprises are thin. But the sleepy scenery and charming performances – Stewart escapes her vampires and reminds everyone what the fuss used to be about – keep The Yellow Handkerchief from blowing it. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
If Mr. Hurt gives a meticulously detailed performance, he is still so innately refined that Brett never quite registers as an authentic blue-collar type, either vocally or in his body language. Ultimately, men like Brett are just not in Mr. Hurt’s DNA, and you are left with the impression of observing a silk purse artfully (but only partially) disguised as a sow’s ear. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazineJohn P. McCarthy
The romantic drama earns solid marks for atmosphere, moving shots of post-Katrina New Orleans and acting. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
It’s nice to see a film unafraid to be quiet and sensitive, but one good gust of coastal breeze would blow this one away. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
If it were just Hurt's show, it'd be a helluva trip. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Drawn to these fumbling kids, Hurt gradually opens up about his one great, tragic love (Maria Bello), but any catharsis is circumvented by his floundering costars and their risibly cornpone dialogue. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
Still, when The Yellow Handkerchief finally hooks into the meat of Hamill’s source story, the narrative tension puts enough wind in the film’s sails to arrive at its corny but sentimentally satisfying conclusion. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
The only positive thing about the aimless film The Yellow Handkerchief is the idea that William Hurt may be ready for his Jeff Bridges moment. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
Unfortunately, the precision and presence Hurt brings to the table aren't enough to carry this warmed-over Southern melodrama. Read full review
40
Time OutNicolas Rapold
Even though the Bello-Hurt thread is unconvincingly brought up to date at the end, this inside-out movie gets good mileage out of letting us watch characters watch each other. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Sluggish. Torpid. Boring. Those three words (and more) can describe The Yellow Handkerchief, a stultifying road trip movie whose inept screenplay is only partially counterbalanced by a trio of nice performances. Read full review
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