Click here to copy URL

Harriet

2019

Kasi Lemmons

Cynthia Erivo, Joe Alwyn, Janelle Monáe, Leslie Odom Jr. ...

5.8

1,408

Drama The story of Harriet Tubman (Cynthia Erivo), who helped free hundreds of slaves from the South after escaping from slavery herself in 1849.

	Author	Review
United States	David Rooney The Hollywood Reporter	"If the movie doesn't escape the hagiographic trap of the reverent biopic, it nonetheless will move audiences with a taste for large-canvas inspirational drama"	NEU
United States	Owen Gleiberman Variety	"A conventional and rather prosaic piece of filmmaking (...) it still leaves you feeling that the great movie about Harriet Tubman has yet to be made."	NEG
United States	Robert Daniels rogerebert.com	"More superhero origin story than pure biopic, Kasi Lemmons’ 'Harriet' charts the abolitionist from her first escape to freedom to Civil War spy in a formulaic but incredibly well-acted story"	POS
United States	Leah Greenblatt Entertainment Weekly	"An impassioned, edifying portrait of a remarkable life, and a fitting showcase for the considerable talents of its star, Tony-winning British actress Cynthia Erivo"	POS
United States	Eric Kohn IndieWire	"As a sentimental tribute, it hardly transcends expectations — but Erivo’s performance injects a palpable urgency to the material that makes up for missed time"	NEU
United States	A. O. Scott The New York Times	"It is a rousing and powerful drama, respectful of both the historical record and the cravings of modern audiences"	POS
United States	Sara Stewart New York Post	"Though deeply well-intentioned, director Kasi Lemmons’ movie never really breaks free of conventional biopic mode"	NEU
United States	Brian Lowry CNN	"[Erivo's] performance is the heart and soul of the movie (...) [She] conveys Harriet's grit, but also her vulnerability"	POS
United States	Monica Castillo The Wrap	"We’ve waited too long for a Tubman movie but this one disappoints"	NEG
United States	Peter Travers Rolling Stone	"It’s a big role, written with dimensions of sainthood that might defeat a lesser actor. But Erivo is up to every challenge (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"History, heroism and leadership are the stuff of Kasi Lemmons’ rousing and heartfelt film about the life and times of Harriet Tubman (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Allan Hunter Screendaily	"A thoughtful biopic that grows more involving the more it shrugs off its tendency towards the reverential (...) Cynthia Erivo carries the weight of the film"	POS
United Kingdom	Ed Potton The Times	"What a travesty that this stirring film is the first significant movie to be made about Harriet Tubman (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Robbie Collin Telegraph	"The whole package is so sleekly watchable, if risk-averse to a fault, that I can’t recall a recent time at the cinema where I learned more by thinking less (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Clarisse Loughrey The Independent	"A flashy, formulaic biopic (…) Cynthia Erivo is magnificent (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United Kingdom	Amon Warmann Empire	"Erivo’s impressive central performance is frequently undercut by an all-too-conventional approach (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United Kingdom	Lewis Knight Mirror	"A stirring, spiritual, and tense watch that utilises Cynthia Erivo’s talents and unmistakable star quality (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
Ireland	Tara Brady Irish Times	"This is a fine and essential primer to the life of Harriet Tubman (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
Canada	Chaka V. Grier Now Toronto	"Cynthia Erivo is convincing and compelling (...) At times it simplifies timelines and experiences for the sake of moving the story along"	NEU
Canada	Johanna Schneller The Globe and Mail	"The film includes some terrific, haunting details (...) However, there is such a thing as being too reverential, and too many scenes (...) insist on Tubman’s greatness, instead of letting us discover it (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	NEU

Return to movie

We encourage you to check the reviews' original sources. Intellectual property rights of these reviews belong to their authors and/or the correspondent media from which they have been extracted. If you'd like to help us to add more reviews to your favorite movies, just send us a message.