Venus and Serena
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: May 10, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Washington PostLiz ClarkeMay 9, 2013
The documentary also reveals the sisters’ almost symbiotic closeness. They live together most of the year, cook together, do karaoke together and joke about how difficult it would be if one chose to get married. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranMay 9, 2013
This is a story as involving as you'd imagine it would be. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMay 16, 2013
The directors complied and made some trims, which helps explain why the film works better as a thrilling but superficial celebration of two incredible athletes instead of a personal portrait of two world-famous women who continue to make sports history. Read full review
75
The PlaylistKimber MyersMay 9, 2013
Venus and Serena wins points for sharing an intimate, not-always-flattering view of the sisters that isn’t PR-friendly. Read full review
75
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMay 7, 2013
The fact that Serena, ranked number one again this year — the oldest woman (31) ever so ranked — means that their story isn’t over, and that if a skeptic wants to finally appreciate their historic impact on the game, he or she still has time to come around. Read full review
70
NPRElla TaylorMay 9, 2013
Me, I wanted to know what these two remarkable young women will obsess about once the whole world has stopped watching, whether they will always be together — and what it would really feel like to be one of their much less famous siblings. We'll probably never know, except in someone else's future fiction feature. Read full review
70
Village VoiceErnest HardyMay 7, 2013
What Venus and Serena does extraordinarily well is capture the work ethic and undersung smarts of the sisters while taking viewers deep into their enviably close relationship. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerMay 10, 2013
One of those documentaries that is more testimonial than investigation. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloMay 8, 2013
What comes across most strongly is the genuine, overpowering love these two women have for each other, even when they’re in direct competition. Read full review
63
New York PostSara StewartMay 9, 2013
This documentary, a love letter to their sisterly bond, gives a reasonably engaging look behind the scenes. Read full review
60
The GuardianAndrew PulverJun 29, 2013
The sisters themselves reveal a little, mostly because of Serena's unguarded imperiousness; but as a study of sports supercelebrity it's a tad subdued. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanMay 10, 2013
Directors Maiken Baird and Michelle Major may have begun this documentary with the intention of profiling two of the most successful siblings in sports. But any reality TV viewer knows that bad behavior is always more compelling than likability. So this movie’s title becomes, perhaps to the filmmakers’ own surprise, a little misleading. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottMay 9, 2013
Think of this movie as a greatest-hits package, with some good stuff to show but nothing very new to say. Read full review
60
Time OutDavid FearMay 7, 2013
You’ll learn that karaoke is an effective rehab tool; that their dad, Richard, the film’s real hero, molded his daughters into fierce competitors; and that Venus and Serena actually do love each other. Anyone looking for deeper insights than that or into what really makes this twosome tick will find themselves at a real disadvantage. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineEd GonzalezMay 7, 2013
Opting for inspiration over insight, Venus and Serena is a starry-eyed pop documentary that cannot transcend its scattershot, for-fans-only filmmaking. Read full review
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