46
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 67The PlaylistKatie WalshThe PlaylistKatie WalshWhile there are some missteps in the story, there’s a lot to admire in The Free World, particularly in what is sure to be a breakout role for Holbrook.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe uneven drama remains reasonably engrossing thanks to affecting performances from Boyd Holbrook and Elisabeth Moss.
- 50ConsequenceJustin GerberConsequenceJustin GerberAnimal shelter/prison facility parallels become too heavy-handed, and performances packed with emotion give way to on-the-lam clichés.
- 50The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenThe heavy-handed man-beast comparison is one of several grossly overstated themes in a movie that abruptly changes direction as it goes along while taking shortcuts that leave its characters underdeveloped and crucial plot elements barely fleshed out.
- 50Village VoiceAbbey BenderVillage VoiceAbbey BenderJason Lew's lost-soul drama The Free World offers a modest exploration of innocence and guilt, with occasional interludes of both violence and romance
- 50Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenLos Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenAn initially compelling but uneven drama elevated by two centered performances.
- 50Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreThe film founders when Lew sends the couple, platonic and respectful (he is a Muslim, remember), on the run. That dash rather spoils the picture’s paranoid compactness, and it goes on and on, melodrama added unto melodrama.
- 40VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter Debruge[A] well-meaning, well-acted but otherwise clumsily executed parable about second chances.
- 33The Film StageJordan RaupThe Film StageJordan RaupDespite actors who are clearly committed to the material, The Free World is an unfortunate misfire of banality.