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Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: I've seen the film twice. It is a wonder, marked by a sense of wondrous skepticism that has nothing to do with cynicism. Read more
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: My Kid Could Paint That keeps us intrigued by the questions, long after its last shot of Marla. Read more
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: The self-reflexive narrative is particularly fascinating because Marla's story is so critical to selling her art; everyone involved, the filmmaker included, has a vested interest in proving it genuine or fake. Read more
Noel Murray, AV Club: Bar-Lev is also intrigued by the ethereality of childhood, and whether nurturing a gift can also kill it. Read more
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic: Documentarian Amir Bar-Lev began making a film about whether Modern art is a scam and whether a 4-year-old painter from Binghampton, N.Y., might not be as good as Picasso. But Bar-Lev ended making a film instead about whether the 4-year-old is a scam. Read more
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: For parents, My Kid Could Paint That functions as a mirror, prompting us to wonder at what point we should draw the line and close the door. When the national media camp out in our living rooms? When the kid's college account is full? Read more
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: The longer it goes, the more frustrating it becomes, as [director] Bar Lev declines to come down on one side or the other. It makes his presence in the Olmsteads' lives serve no real purpose other than exploitation of their misery for his own good. Read more
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle: A fascinating documentary. Read more
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Amir Bar-Lev's documentary is fascinating on all kinds of levels: as a movie about the nature of art, the lure and pitfalls of celebrity, and the complicated conundrums of parenting. Read more
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Amir Bar-Lev's engrossing film is as much about the stubborn ambiguities of art, truth, meaning, and relationships as it is about the authenticity of the Olmstead oeuvre. Read more
Mark Bourne, Film.com: New York Times senior art critic Michael Kimmelman offers sharp insights when he mentions how Marla's painting reflects not just 'innocence' and what our psyches project into them, but also 'the cynicism of the art world.' Read more
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press: More than a standard child prodigy profile, My Kid Could Paint That turns into a priceless examination of modern art, celebrity and what it means to be a kid. Read more
Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly: A fascinating exploration of art, creativity, and family dynamics that takes an unexpected right hook. Read more
Jan Stuart, Newsday: [A] mysterious, gripping meta-documentary, a movie that reflects upon the thorny, unpredictable process of capturing a real-life story on film at the same time it's trying to figure out what the story is. Read more
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Amir Bar-Lev began this documentary as a fairly straightforward portrait of a prodigy. What he ended up with was a complex examination of art, the media and the nature of fame. Read more
Kyle Smith, New York Post: The opportunities for a satirical comedy are largely missed by filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev, who does a lot of first-person hand-wringing about his methods. That is both a distraction and an indication that he got a little too close to his subjects. Read more
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: My Kid Could Paint That is a documentary that brings to the fore questions of youth exploitation, celebrity culture, the "con game" that is modern art and media's role in the whole tangled mess. Read more
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: It's a thought-provoking look at the world of abstract art, the relationship between a reporter and his/her subject, and the nature of parenting, prodigies, and "objective" storytelling. Read more
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The truth lurking beneath My Kid Could Paint That is that your kid couldn't paint that. Read more
Kenneth Baker, San Francisco Chronicle: Bar-Lev goes to the heart of the issue -- that all art, but especially abstract art -- demands commitment on every side, but commitment takes many forms and has many motives behind it. Read more
Globe and Mail: What begins as a sweet documentary about yet another art prodigy becomes an absorbing look at the world of art scandals, trial by media and the parental role in the frenzied creation and perpetuation of a phenomenon. Read more
Susan Walker, Toronto Star: Bar-Lev has made a refreshingly honest documentary. Read more