70
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- Ultimately, the film isn’t about a happy ending or even a real conclusion – as in real life, we’re not sure what will happen to Rose or where she will end up. But what we are left with is a true and honest account of how quickly the lives of millions change overnight.
- 75Chicago TribuneKatie WalshChicago TribuneKatie WalshYellow Rose is an emotional blunt instrument. It’s not exactly subtle, but then again, the best country songs, and the best coming-of-age tales, rarely are.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreCasting Salonga, a singing actress best known for Disney’s animated “Mulan,” and not letting her sing is a cheat. But Watson is a laid-back delight and makes Rose’s odyssey make sense musically and emotionally.
- But that’s also the movie’s charm, painting a world where all you need is talent, a little luck and a couple of shoulders to cry on when things get tough. It’s a stripped-down “A Star Is Born” — without the rehab and suicide.
- 75IndieWireKate ErblandIndieWireKate ErblandParagas’ film finds fresh ground to explore the price and the power of the American dream, bolstered by country crooning and heartbreaking (and very real) legal worries. It’s a concept that might sound played out, but deft directing and a number of strong performances recommend it, a down-home answer to the similarly charming 2018 drama “Wild Rose.”
- 70VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeLike Andrew Ahn’s “Driveways” earlier this year, Yellow Rose is ultimately a film about kindness. The world can be cruel, but the film’s characters tend not to be. Group those movies with Sundance prize-winner “Minari,” and audiences have three terrific indies about growing up Asian in America — although this is the only one that sets the experience to music.
- 63The Associated PressJake CoyleThe Associated PressJake CoyleYellow Rose sings an affecting, sorrowful and defiant song where dreams collide with a cruel reality.
- 63RogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarRogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarIn the end, the neatly wrapped resolution amounts to a sense of incompleteness, like a concert that leaves you waiting for an encore.
- 60The New York TimesKristen Yoonsoo KimThe New York TimesKristen Yoonsoo KimAbove all, the music has the greatest staying power — it is the film’s saving grace, just like it is Rose’s during her darkest days.
- 58The A.V. ClubLawrence GarciaThe A.V. ClubLawrence GarciaYellow Rose may not be a success on the whole, but it does suggest that Paragas, like her protagonist, is still finding her way.