72
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Film ThreatFilm ThreatAt its core, Lots of Kids, A Monkey, and a Castle is an intimate, humorous, and heartfelt love letter to the filmmaker’s mother and her indomitable spirit and will to rise above the inevitable pitfalls of life.
- 80VarietyJessica KiangVarietyJessica KiangSalmerón’s film, crammed as full of tchotchkes and knick-knacks and bibelots as one of his mother’s closets, refutes that, presenting an endearingly haphazard portrait of an extraordinary woman and the family she made — one that has discovered its own, completely unique way to be happy.
- 80The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyAlong with the loving portraiture are elements of peculiar mystery.
- 70Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert AbeleWhat Salmerón is after, however, is a simple portrait of hilarious exuberance, hard-won togetherness and strange wisdom. That search yields results.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterJonathan HollandThe Hollywood ReporterJonathan HollandWhat viewers take away from Kids is the sense that even after 80 years of hard living, it’s still possible to live a meaningful, happy and influential existence — an authentically feel-good message for these feel-bad times.
- This laidback documentary portrait – directed by her son, Spanish actor Gustavo Salmerón – takes on a casual, boisterously wistful air, as the eccentric octogenarian reflects on her many years, while the extended clan buzzes excitedly around.