A Better Life 2011

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Once you get past the cliched Spanglish dialogue and the sentimental tone of the early acts, "A Better Life" settles down into something both involving and moving. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: The people here seem real, their world is shaky at best, and the political tension that permeates everything in this film feels palpable. Read more

Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: ...a little more sensibility applied to its sensitivity could have brought it to a much better place. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: It's unusual for a director to scale down again as dramatically as Mr. Weitz has with "A Better Life," but it's done him good. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Kudos for stepping outside your comfort zone, sir, even if the result just translates as old-fashioned cultural slumming masked as tear-jerking humanism. Better luck next time. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: Weitz, who directed the excellent 2002 Hugh Grant movie, "About a Boy," once more does a sensitive job with iffy material. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: It's a familiar story retold in the form of another familiar story, but powerfully expressed emotions always feel fresh and vital in the moment, no matter how many times they've been expressed before. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: If we can see how things will play out long before the characters do, it's still powerful and, one gets the feeling, valuable - not just as a document of the immigration struggle but as a film. Read more

David Germain, Associated Press: A fairly satisfying though by-the-numbers drama about an illegal Mexican immigrant struggling to build a decent future for his teenage son. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: It's generic and small but manages to reel you in and surprise you with its grimness. Read more

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader: A major star in Mexico, Bichir is quietly affecting as the father, a humble striver who faces loss at every turn. Read more

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: It's straight, true and heartbreaking, a masterstroke of raw emotional minimalism. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: There are sequences here, like the ones involving men massing for work on street corners, or working the night shift washing dishes, that highlight a closed-off society too often neglected in the movies -- not to mention in real life. Read more

Joy Tipping, Dallas Morning News: Director Chris Weitz neatly avoids sanctimony by centering the engrossing story on a father-son relationship, letting the audience make up its own mind about the overarching matter of illegal immigration. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Weaves the torpor and anxiety of immigrant life into something dramatically true, if at moments a bit draggy. Read more

William Goss, Film.com: Bichir delivers a note-perfect performance of determination, defeat and pride. Read more

Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: By keeping things simple and understated, director Chris Weitz and screenwriter Eric Eason have crafted a little gem where humanity is observed with compassion, not condescension. Read more

Richard Brody, New Yorker: The story unfolds without hagiography, pity, or trumped-up heroism, as the filmmaker approaches the lives of everyday people with modest compassion and imaginative sympathy. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Mostly this is a film made up of earnest concern and good intentions - and that's never a substitute for real drama and strong convictions. Read more

Jeannette Catsoulis, NPR: Neither hopeful nor hopeless, the story is about embracing heritage while striving for more, all the while trying not to step on the neck of your brother. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: With its careful compositions and message-minded dialogue, Chris Weitz's modest drama feels more earnest than real. Still, its sincerity is admirable, and often touching. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Weitz keeps the schmaltz in check... Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: The power in this movie is the way Chris Weitz trusts us to discover the facts for ourselves. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: A compassionate character study of a man modeling the values of heart, hard work, self-respect, and self-reliance to his spawn. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The film's trajectory is rather predictable, but then so was the story told by "The Bicycle Thief." But the performances are pitch perfect... Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: On the surface, the film seems like one of those docudramas that beg to be rewarded solely for their good intentions. But Chris Weitz cuts deep. This movie will get under your skin. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Bichir redeems the secondhand plot and on-the-nose dialogue. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Notwithstanding its modest scope, "A Better Life" richly documents the life of an invisible man. Read more

Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail: Bichir delivers a powerful, nuanced performance as a stoic but complex character who treats everyone -- even those who have wronged him -- with a dignity he rarely receives. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: The didacticism takes the shine off Weitz's accomplishment, even if the film builds up enough empathy to generate slow-burning emotional impact. Read more

Greg Quill, Toronto Star: Personalizes the illegal immigrant experience and digs much deeper into what has become a national disgrace. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: No matter where you stand on immigration, A Better Life is must-see viewing, poignantly revealing what it's like living confined to the shadows of contemporary society. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: Despite Demian Bichir's affecting lead performance and a strong feel for Los Angeles' Mexican-American communities, [the film] emerges an earnest and overly programmatic heart-tugger. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: A Better Life takes on the combustible topic of illegal immigration through the soft, safe focus of father-son bonding, with a heavy nod to The Bicycle Thief. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: "A Better Life" might not change any minds about immigration policy, but it illuminates the conversation with context, compassion and understanding. Read more