24
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanIt’s a good movie: tense, bold, angry, empathetic, provocative, observant, morally engaged. And also, to be honest, a trifle gimmicky.
- 55CNNBrian LowryCNNBrian LowryAmerican Skin is worth seeing, for the issues Parker seeks to address, even if it only partially works in leaving a mark.
- 40The GuardianXan BrooksThe GuardianXan BrooksNo one in real life speaks the way they do in this film. No genuine drama is this crudely ordered drama, with its telegraphed turnabouts and conveniently-placed confessions, all building to a stage-managed plea for tolerance and unity.
- 30The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyWell-intentioned but heavy-handed ... To be fair, while Parker's film lacks finesse and the writing too readily slides into bullet-point didacticism and self-righteous speechifying, it does go to some lengths to give both sides a voice, even if it inevitably stacks the deck.
- 30The New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe New York TimesNicolas RapoldInstead of lending immediacy, the padded-out documentary conceit only spotlights the stiltedness, and Parker falls short of building credible drama out of urgent issues.
- 25IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichAn asinine and self-serving call to action that tries to hide its basic incompetence behind a veil of righteous fury.
- 25TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeA clunky, heavy-handed film that takes a pressing contemporary issue and flattens it under two genres the writer-director seems ill-equipped to handle — the mockumentary and the courtroom drama.
- 20Los Angeles TimesCarlos AguilarLos Angeles TimesCarlos AguilarRather than speaking to the moment coherently, the movie communicates its message in loud fits of dull screaming.
- 10Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonInfuriatingly manipulative and insufferably preachy.
- 10Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangLos Angeles TimesJustin ChangFrom beginning to end, American Skin is a jagged symphony of false notes, each one struck with a sledgehammer. The most charitable thing that can be said about it is that if Parker is attempting to simulate the work of a bad or inexperienced filmmaker, he succeeds beyond his wildest dreams.