37
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleA remarkable treat. It contains information about the writer heretofore unknown, and though it’s a dramatic feature and not a documentary, it claims to tell the truth, without embellishment. Even better, it was written by someone who saw the events depicted firsthand.
- 50The A.V. ClubAdam NaymanThe A.V. ClubAdam NaymanIt’s the sort of film that’s destined to be the answer to a trivia question, and not much more.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckAlthough based on a true story, this drama directed by Bob Yari about the relationship between a young journalist and the aging Ernest Hemingway never rings true despite the authenticity of its setting.
- 40Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzIt’s an awkwardly constructed movie that doesn’t really gel.
- 38Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreHemingway in Cuba lives and dies on its “Papa,” and Yari did himself no favors by cutting corners there.
- 38Boston GlobePeter KeoughBoston GlobePeter KeoughMarilyn Monroe’s death in 1962 was ruled a suicide, as was Hemingway’s in 1961. Both spawned conspiracy theories. Maybe someone should make a movie about that. Or a decent one about Hemingway himself.
- 37Washington PostStephanie MerryWashington PostStephanie MerryOn paper, this is an extraordinary story. But the careless production values blunt its impact. The score is obtrusive and generic; the sound editing makes a shootout sound reminiscent of an old Western; continuity errors abound.
- 30Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlThe script is based on screenwriter Denne Bart Petitclerc's actual experience befriending the author, but words that might have lived in real life here die on the screen.
- 30VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonDisappointingly plodding and ham-fistedly obvious in its attempts to offer an up-close and personal portrait of a mood-swinging, self-loathing 59-year-old Ernest Hemingway.
- 25Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMiami HeraldRene RodriguezPlayed by Adrian Sparks in a style better suited for dinner theater or a Key West tourist attraction, Hemingway comes across as a complete cypher. Everyone in the film keeps talking about his genius, but other than a scene in which he writes a short story on the back of a napkin, the movie doesn’t try to humanize or explore his talent.