Critic Reviews

• Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

  The satire here is finespun, and the film's conclusions ambiguous.

• Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

  A dark allegorical comedy about the nature of fame, about obsession, about madness - and the point where they converge: on Big Brother, a TV show watched by millions.

• John Hartl, Seattle Times

  For all its ups and downs and occasional detours into boorishness, it's an original that will surprise if not necessarily delight fans of Garrone's very different crime drama, "Gomorrah."

• J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

  Matteo Garrone follows his crime epic Gomorrah with a comedy about reality TV, and though it hardly rivals the earlier movie in its social complexity, it still offers the spectacle of a vibrant and vividly realized Neapolitan neighborhood.

• Ty Burr, Boston Globe

  As cautionary tales go, this one's ripely knowing, and it speaks in a lot more languages than Italian.

• Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic

  Garrone has a feeling for sweep and color, and he makes Luciano a pathetic victim of the unrealities with which TV can beset us.

• T'Cha Dunlevy, Montreal Gazette

  Felliniesque is a term that gets bandied about frequently, but few films actually capture the spirit of the Italian master in his prime. Matteo Garrone's Reality earns its keep without resorting to mere imitation.

• Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

  As soon as the reality show element comes in, the movie abandons its creativity and goes for broad, anxious comedy that never works.

• Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

  Uma obra inteligente, engraçada e profundamente relevante.

• Kelly Vance, East Bay Express

  A feast of eye candy and broad comic caterwauling.

• Lisa Giles-Keddie, Real.com

  A chilling dose of filmic reality of how damaging and all consuming celebrity and some people's aspirations of it can be ...

• Chris Cabin, Film Racket

  signifies the moral bankruptcy and delirium of Silvio Berlusconi's government-as-game-show regime

• Brian Tallerico, HollywoodChicago.com

  It's a step down from his previous work as it's less ambitious and doesn't quite come together but it features enough interesting ideas about our fame-obsessed culture to see why it connected with the French fest jury.

• Philip French, Observer [UK]

  It's a sad story, told at too great a length, but its final image is devastating.

• Will McCord, Paste Magazine

  That may not be a new thesis but Garrone portrays it beautifully -- from the first God-like view from a helicopter to the film's denouement.

• David Parkinson, Radio Times

  Garrone's critique of Italy's current cultural vapidity is too indulgently affectionate and lacks both originality and bite.

• Allan Hunter, Daily Express

  A handsomely crafted film but one that already feels dated.

• Derek Malcolm, This is London

  The film falls on its own sword by creating a dish that is more than a little overcooked, though even a cursory glance at Italian television might suggest that it is virtually impossible to exaggerate anything.

Read all 18 critic reviews