54
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 85Film ThreatBobby LePireFilm ThreatBobby LePireThe Cuban does not develop everything in its screenplay to complete satisfaction. But what’s there is very good and believable. Combine that with the jaw-dropping directing and visual style, along with the pitch-perfect cast, and you are left with a compelling drama that is well worth it, flaws and all.
- 69Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpPaste MagazineAndrew CrumpGolja and Gossett’s joint appeal—his rascally charm, her coltish earnestness—gives The Cuban soul, shining light through the gloom of brain decline and the horrors of an ambivalent healthcare system. Who needs validation when you have heart?
- 63RogerEbert.comMonica CastilloRogerEbert.comMonica CastilloThe Cuban pulls together music, romance, loss, and memory into an emotional tale that spans cultures and generations. One thing connects them all: Cuban music.
- 60VarietyJessica KiangVarietyJessica KiangThe real learning here ought to be that if you cast two such charismatic performers as Louis Gossett Jr. and Shohreh Aghdashloo in your movie, it would be better to clear all the Life Lesson clutter away and just let them get on with it.
- 50The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzPerhaps sensing that the rest of his story - mostly focusing around the earnest do-goodery of Golja's aide - falls emotionally flat, Navarretta lavishes attention on his two marquee players, creating tiny moments of poignancy.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenWhere the movie hits flat notes is in the way it spells out its points rather than letting friction percolate through the action.
- 50The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyComplications culminate in epiphanies and brief triumphs, as is customary. But this genial, well-intentioned movie never quite lands a real emotional punch.