The We and the I 2012

A.O. Scott, New York Times: "The We and the I" neither scolds nor sentimentalizes its young characters. Instead the film invites viewers, of whatever age, to immerse themselves in the chaos, glee and heartache of a long ride home on the last day of school. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: "The We and the I" is a collection of very thin stories, many of which feel incomplete. Read more

Mike D'Angelo, AV Club: It feels inordinately unfocused, and a last-minute swerve into earnest speechifying doesn't help. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: There's a lot to love about the film, but it can get buried under the attempts to tell everyone's story at once. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: All of the kids are good in their roles, mostly as characters one assumes resemble themselves. And as any actor will tell you, playing yourself is one of the toughest gigs around. Read more

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: Rambling and unpolished, the film has a scrappy charm that springs organically from the characters and their stories rather than being artificially coaxed. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Fake documentaries annoy me - why not put in the effort and deliver the real thing? - and this one is not only aimless and stiff, it also rings false. Read more

Elizabeth Horkley, Philadelphia Inquirer: Organic interactions are interrupted by Gondry's words, or abandoned in favor of fantasy sequences. The film's verisimilitude too often takes a backseat to conventional storytelling and Gondry's whimsical aesthetic. Read more

Michał Oleszczyk, Chicago Sun-Times: A vivid snapshot of an interracial group of teenagers as they take a bus ride home on the last day of school. Read more

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: Gondry has talent, and I think he enjoyed being with these youngsters, but the film suffers in trying to impose something vaguely like a story on a framework that boils down to teen high jinks during a bus ride. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Credit Gondry, like Tocqueville before him, with at least re-examining tired cliches and scraping the rust off stereotypes. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: An occasionally interesting glimpse into the lives of a diverse group of urban teens and their struggles, but also a film that's overly long and often annoying. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Given the choice between handcrafted whimsy and heavy-handedness, we'll take the former, thanks. Read more

Michelle Orange, Village Voice: At its finest and most affecting, The We and the I is a window onto youth's forever moments ... Read more