51
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75The PlaylistKevin JagernauthThe PlaylistKevin JagernauthIt’s the kind of smoothly rounded, edgeless historical drama that’s built for maximum appeal, with a broad perspective and an easy to digest tone. Well-crafted and ably told, this is a film that’s wholly respectable though not particularly memorable, but still manages to connect with its earnest good intentions and desire to please.
- 70Screen DailyAllan HunterScreen DailyAllan HunterWoman Walks Ahead is a story of defying expectations, finding common ground and gaining knowledge.
- 60The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawWoman Walks Ahead is a solidly crafted and well shot, if basically unchallenging film.
- 58The A.V. ClubKatie RifeThe A.V. ClubKatie RifeDespite the sensitivity of its storytelling, and Chastain’s career-defining passion for playing headstrong, independent women like Mrs. Weldon, it also never really comes to life.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyDespite the estimable talent on hand both behind and in front of the camera, the story never comes to convincing life and doesn’t, in the end, have anywhere particularly surprising or interesting to go.
- 50VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeWoman Walks Ahead offers dimension to its leading lady, but holds its Native characters to the same old surface stereotypes. Such a movie is a step in the right direction, but farther behind than it seems to realize.
- 50The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisIt’s all ridiculously romanticized and self-serving. But the performances are so good (Mr. Greyeyes, in particular, is a miracle of intelligence and dignity) and Michael Eley’s vistas, shimmeringly shot in New Mexico, are so stunning, it feels churlish to resist.
- 42IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichThe film suffers enormously from its slippery grasp of history, all of its narrative thrust slipping through the cracks between fact and fiction.
- 40Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangLos Angeles TimesJustin ChangDeviations from the historical record aren’t a problem in and of themselves; it’s what those deviations add up to (or don’t), and what they say about the motivations of the artists behind them.
- 38Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenAs a character, Catherine Weldon suffers the same fate as Sitting Bull, having been reduced to a signifier of the filmmakers' retroactive political correctness.