Rotten
Unfortunately, the material flounders from the broadly farcical to the bombastically melodramatic.
Peter Keough, Boston Globe
Samba
Sometimes those with nothing have the most to lose.
2014 · 1h 58m · R
Comedy, Drama
Directed by
Éric Toledano
,
Olivier Nakache
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Samba
Overview
Samba migrated to France 10 years ago from Senegal, and has since been plugging away at various lowly jobs. Alice is a senior executive who has recently undergone a burnout. Both struggle to get out of their dead-end lives. Samba's willing to do whatever it takes to get working papers, while Alice tries to get her life back on track until fate draws them together.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
61%
Tomatometer
Rotten
"Samba" tries to be too many things to too many people, although you can't say it doesn't have heart.
John Anderson, Newsday
Fresh
Gainsbourg and Sy play off each other wonderfully, emphasizing how these characters relate to each other as people; their scenes together feel emotionally honest even though one can barely imagine them happening in real life.
Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader
Rotten
"Samba" is loosely plotted and is at least 20 minutes too long. It seems ready to end half a dozen times before it finally does, with ironic payoffs for Samba and Alice that are too glib to be satisfying.
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post
Rotten
It's easy to enjoy what the cast does on screen; it's harder to buy the nutty mood swings and, as written, Gainsbourg's generic trainwreck of a character.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
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