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Penguin Bloom

2020

Glendyn Ivin

Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln, Jacki Weaver, Rachel House ...

5.7

483

Drama Australian Sam Bloom (Watts) is enjoying a blissful vacation in Thailand when a horrifying accident sends her falling storeys down to the pavement. Life changes in an instant for her, but also for her husband, Cameron (Andrew Lincoln), and their three children. Back home, Sam’s painful adjustment to her new disability leaves her unable to appreciate her idyllic home and a family trying to connect. When the family takes in a stray ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Brian Tallerico rogerebert.com	"Ivin doesn’t trust her audience enough, gliding across the surface of Bloom’s tragedy in a way that feels melodramatic and simplistic"	NEG
United States	Tomris Laffly Variety	"[Bloom's] unforgettable achievements become a postscript in the forgettable 'Penguin Bloom,' which stays afloat on Watts’ shoulders alone."	NEU
United States	John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter	"A well-acted but over-familiar tale of rebirth after tragedy (...) This is hardly the complex material cinephiles hope for at festivals"	NEU
United States	Marshall Shaffer The Playlist	"Naomi Watts succumbs to ableist tropes & overwrought metaphor"	NEG
United Kingdom	Tim Grierson Screendaily	"Naomi Watts gives a suitably sensitive performance (...) [It feels] like just another inspirational film about overcoming personal hardship — albeit one with far more magpie than is the norm"	NEU
United States	Kate Erbland IndieWire	"Watts’ finely tuned performance, never fussy and often biting, helps guide the film’s more predictable pathways."	NEU
United Kingdom	Luke Buckmaster The Guardian	"There is a great, moving story to tell about the real Sam Bloom – but this film only gets part of the way there (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEG
United States	Johnny Oleksinski New York Post	"Tender but predictable drama (...) Subtlety is kicked to the curb in favor of volcanic drama, and nary a moment goes by without some screaming or an inspiring message (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"	NEU

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