63
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90TV Guide MagazineFrank LoveceTV Guide MagazineFrank LoveceIn a film mercifully free of the usual warm and fuzzy movie sentimentality, director Maggie Greenwald and her fine cast shatter most hillbilly stereotypes.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranHas enough virtues to make it successful, including an unusual story and some fine acting, especially by the powerful Janet McTeer.
- 75Baltimore SunChris KaltenbachBaltimore SunChris KaltenbachWhenever the movie threatens to become just another visit to hillbilly-land, the music starts up and the film's gentle, irresistible wonder takes hold. Songcatcher is a film very much worth catching.
- 75Philadelphia InquirerDesmond RyanPhiladelphia InquirerDesmond RyanGreenwald's film is filled with an infectious love for the region's songs. It could hardly be otherwise, given the level of musical talent she recruited for Songcatcher.
- 75New York PostJonathan ForemanNew York PostJonathan ForemanEssential viewing for anyone who cares about American popular music and its roots.
- 75Miami HeraldMiami HeraldIt may not get top billing, but glorious music is the star of Songcatcher, an intriguing and often lovely film.
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyUnfolds at a leisurely but enjoyable pace, its dramatic contrivances never pushed too hard.
- 70L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorBest seen as a performance movie, featuring music (by Iris DeMent and Taj Mahal, among others) too wonderful to be overpowered by director Maggie Greenwald's plodding direction and leaden screenplay.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenSongcatcher is a sweet, lyrical ode to rural America in the early 1900's.
- 30Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternA good subject has been ill-served by Ms. Greenwald's cliched script and clumsy direction.