45
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeGrashaw's convincing drama distills this underexposed world into the story of a single young man trying to survive a system designed to break him.
- 67Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyEntertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyThe best thing about it is its star, P.J. Boudousqué, who locates a sense of terror and betrayal that the script lacks.
- 60VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeSuitable for teens — lies somewhere between indignant expose and unusually tasteful exploitation picture, with shower scenes and sweaty young delinquents aplenty.
- 50Village VoiceSam WeisbergVillage VoiceSam WeisbergColdwater is almost boastfully grim.
- 50RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoRogerEbert.comBrian TallericoThe final act of Coldwater is horrendously misguided, the kind of insincere melodrama that erases the memory of what came before. It’s a particular shame because there’s an hour of decent filmmaking here.
- 40The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisProceeding in a tone of unrelieved misery, Coldwater is a punishing, predictable drama that’s almost rescued by strong acting and good intentions.
- 40New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottNew Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottBoudousque is young yet, and so he has room to grow as an actor, but he's got nothing but upside to him at this point. It'll be fun to watch his career grow from here.
- 30Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinToo many roles remain underdeveloped — if developed at all. A lack of cohesion or camaraderie among the inmates compounds the film's impersonal vibe.
- 30Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzVincent Grashaw's film, although well-meaning (as a postscript reminds us), tries too hard, both in content and form.
- 25Slant MagazineElise NakhnikianSlant MagazineElise NakhnikianIt comes as no surprise that writer-director Vincent Grashaw wrote the first draft of this movie soon after graduating high school.