Valentin
Miramax Films | Release Date: May 7, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
13
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
One of the many stylistic distinctions of this outwardly modest production is the complex voice that the filmmaker has found for his young hero.
75
Chicago TribuneJohn Petrakis
Valentin is cut from the Woody Allen school of movie kids. With oversized black glasses and small-size suits, he is the total know-it-all package, right down to his insightful voice-over. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The film is warm and intriguing, and he (Valentin) is the engine that pulls us through it. We care about what happens to him; high praise. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
Can be enjoyed if you don't mind a little manipulation. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Never becomes cloying, because although Agresti does not lose sight of the great sadness at the center of his tale, he resists the temptation to overplay its bigger moments. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterSheri Linden
With charm to spare, Valentin fuses nostalgia and humor in an episodic story whose ultimate focus is the birth of a writer. Read full review
70
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Quietly, with pathos and tinges of melancholy humor, Valentin pays homage to the heroism of creating your own world when the one that's on offer breaks your heart. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
The film is uniformly well cast, directed (by Alejandro Agresti, who also plays Valentin's father) with a certain flair and a good eye for the nuances of Buenos Aires. I found it light, agreeably short (86 minutes) and mostly quite enjoyable. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
The character of Valentin is immediately recognizable to anyone who's gone to more than 20 films in their lives -- charming, cuddly, hellbent on making his world tolerable -- but to his credit both Noya and Agresti don't overplay their hand. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
As a whole, Valentin is a moderately entertaining motion picture, but the lack of a satisfying sense of closure dims its appeal. Read full review
63
New York PostJonathan Foreman
Sweet, often poignant little film. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Noya is a natural actor, and there are genuinely sweet moments between him and the adults. So, why did Agresti feel the need to pour so much added sugar down our throats? Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Heartfelt and artfully shot, the movie - with little Rodrigo Noya, wearing big eyeglasses, in the title role - is too sweet for its own good, even as some of its characters do things that aren't terribly sweet at all. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
A well-cast drama that switches between sweetness and menace, the film goes down easily, thanks to a talented cast. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Agresti has more on his mind than tugging at heartstrings. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesGene Seymour
His constant chatter may grate, but Noya does the wide-eyed wonderment thing very well. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Agresti fattens us up with the kind of kid's-eye-view tragi-comic adventures that regularly supply empty calories in artificially sweetened foreign-language imports. Read full review
50
VarietyDeborah Young
The choice to have Valentin narrate the tale and make philosophical observations beyond his years becomes irritating at times; ditto the cartoon humor. Read full review
50
Village VoiceBen Kenigsberg
Argentinean director Alejandro Agresti's own specs are rose-colored. This loosely autobiographical tale feels inorganically upbeat, with all potentially upsetting material glossed over or truncated. Read full review
50
USA TodayMike Clark
The wrap-up feels tacked-on and too good to be true, with emotions the story really hasn't earned. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverGregory Weinkauf
Essentially this is a pale imitation of "My Life as a Dog" or "Cinema Paradiso." It means well, but it's only a "feel-good" experience if your concept of that term involves being jerked around and doused in sap. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Narrated from start to close by an 8-year-old, it often seems like a coloring book on tape. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
It takes mere seconds for every charming moment to go from "Ahhh..." to "Aarrggh!" Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
It's not that Noya is bad as kid actors go, but a pair of dewy, crossed eyes and a beyond-his-years melancholy do not an entire movie make. Read full review
40
The New York TimesDave Kehr
The film feels authentic only during the scenes between Valentín and his selfish, angry father. Read full review
40
SalonCharles Taylor
The characters in the Argentinean heart-warmer Valentín spend so much time squabbling and yelling that after a while I began to long for a nice movie about a family of mutes. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
While there's little to be gained from over-critiquing a child's performance, it must be said that director Alejandro Agresti badly miscalculates the appeal of his young star; the fact he not only dominates each scene but provides the film's narration means there's not getting away from young Noya. Read full review
30
TimeRichard Schickel
Agresti's just out to give us a sentimental good time. Which some people, heaven help us, will have -- while the rest of us choke on the cutesiness. Read full review
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The kid chews up the scenery like a baby T-Rex, egged on, no doubt, by director Agresti. Read full review
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