The Dancer Upstairs is, like its director, sleek, mysterious and intelligent. But until its last-half hour or so, it is also, unfortunately, mind-numbing.
– Jay Boyar,
Orlando Sentinel,
23 May 2003
fresh:
It thrives on the hush before the explosion instead of its aftermath, and it's that eerie sense of expectation that gives the film its thick aura of suspense.
– Rene Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
16 May 2003
fresh:
It is not revolutionary, but it brims with promise and a love of film, and is a fine if worried dance indeed.
– Tom Long,
Detroit News,
16 May 2003
fresh:
Moving, melancholy, and, yes, political.
– Lisa Kennedy,
Denver Post,
16 May 2003
fresh:
Reflects its director, being intelligent and elegantly turned-out but distant.