53
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Slant MagazineJoseph Jon LanthierSlant MagazineJoseph Jon LanthierThe movie's final act tries, somewhat admirably, to consolidate the plot's myriad interpersonal conflicts.
- 60The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisLittle more than a showcase for Mr. Quint - whose acting is almost as toneless as his playing is sublime - this trite, sunny drama pins lengthy musical interludes onto the flimsiest of narratives and hopes for the best.
- 60New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanGrubin is an experienced documentarian, and he plays to his strengths here. He certainly makes the most of the Manhattan setting, whether his characters are practicing at Juilliard or playing for cash in the Times Square subway station.
- 50Village VoiceNick SchagerVillage VoiceNick SchagerWhether to let go and follow your own path is a stock dilemma, and an implausibly hopeful conclusion winds up undercutting the realism of this immigrant song.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckWhile Downtown Express suffers from a derivative storyline, it offers enough musical authenticity to provide ample compensations.
- 40Time OutTime OutThe use of real musicians (both professionals, like Nellie McKay, and street performers) provides a certain authenticity to the performances, but the film's wide-eyed view of New York as a wonderland of harmonic diversity soon grows as tiresome as the film's trite romantic shuffling.