56
Metascore
21 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Film ThreatPhil HallFilm ThreatPhil HallIf there is one film which makes the most out of life, this is it.
- 75TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxAside from the overbearing soundtrack, the film is mercifully unsentimental and Ami himself can be quite droll.
- A bracingly honest yet poetic portrait of a man refusing to be defined by the limitations of his body.
- 67Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumIn moments that have nothing to do with representing the weight of love (whatever that is), the film comes alive: when Ami Ankilewitz isn't a symbol - just a man who, for instance, loves a woman.
- 60VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyDani Menkin's documentary tracks his odyssey, which by nature is hard to be cynical about. Still, the feature feels padded even at 70 minutes.
- 50New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoEverybody involved in 39 Pounds of Love probably had the best of intentions. But watching the filmmakers scurry about to record every last tear, I couldn't help but feel that this twisted little man was being exploited.
- 50New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanThere are some very moving scenes, and Ankilewitz' emotional and physical strength is certainly inspiring. Equally compelling is the dedication of his able-bodied friends and family, who never patronize him. Regrettably, the film itself, which feels both breathlessly over-awed and padded out at only 74 minutes, is unable to treat him with the same relaxed respect.
- 50L.A. WeeklyErnest HardyL.A. WeeklyErnest HardyDespite Menkin's clear belief that he's crafted a rousing true-life drama, his film plays like a cliché-ridden, painfully self-conscious Hollywood melodrama about a noble person with disabilities.
- 40Village VoiceVillage VoiceEagerly mimicking reality TV's need to mold life into a digestible narrative, the documentary 39 Pounds of Love simplifies its subject until all that's left is a name and a cloying score.
- 40The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayAs documentary drama, 39 Pounds Of Love is as ungainly, blunt, and icky as its title.