41
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Village VoiceChris PackhamVillage VoiceChris PackhamDespite the psychological extremes, writer-director Francesca Gregorini presents her characters as recognizably human balls of complexity, nudging but never forcing them toward a sad, beautiful conclusion.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweThe Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweAlthough Gregorini is very clear on where her lead characters are coming from, it’s where they’re headed that remains entirely vague, an oversight that leaves them unfortunately adrift.
- 50The DissolveMike D'AngeloThe DissolveMike D'AngeloWith a radically different tone and less naturalistic performances, The Truth About Emanuel might conceivably have worked. Gregorini didn’t commit to the synthetic; paradoxically, that’s what makes the film feel false.
- 50McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMcClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreThey waste this cast and these characters on a story so conventional, so neatly wrapped up in the finale, that the real mystery is how Gregorini and co-writer Sarah Thorpe didn’t see that.
- 50SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirThe film has an odd and striking energy, and the chemistry between Scodelario and Biel has an electrical charge to it. There are a couple of genuinely creepy moments, and Gregorini keeps us on an emotional knife edge.
- 42The PlaylistCory EverettThe PlaylistCory EverettThere are shades of “Lars & the Real Girl” here, but where that film skewed towards dark comedy (which helped temper its outlandish premise), "Emanuel" is almost completely humorless.
- 42The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyUnable to create emotional tension, it instead opts for obliqueness — which can be tantalizing, but only if there’s something worthwhile hidden underneath. In this case, there isn’t. Instead, the movie comes across as evasive, repetitive, and, eventually, more than a little dull.
- 40VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyPlayed flatly head-on with some poetic pretensions, the concept never becomes particularly credible or appealing.
- 38Miami HeraldConnie OgleMiami HeraldConnie OgleThe arsenal is empty, and there’s nowhere for The Truth About Emanuel to go except — unfortunately — downhill.
- 25Slant MagazineTomas HachardSlant MagazineTomas HachardWhat's missing, in the end, is any provocative or poignant insights into the "truth" about Emanuel; all we get are vague hints.