70
The New Yorker by Anthony Lane
You leave the film like one of Giovanni's patients rising from the couch -- far from healed, but amused and pacified by the sympathy that has washed over you. [4 Feb 2002, p. 82]
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
90
New Times (L.A.) by Bill Gallo
Wise and surprisingly witty, the film is a minor masterpiece and could serve as a fitting companion piece to America's "In the Bedroom," another superb film about the torments of bereavement.
75
Stands apart for its raw, quiet emotion and its shattering sense of truth.
90
There’s not a whisper of melodrama or sentimentality in the way Moretti tells his tale, guiding us through the stages of grief with calm, devastating lucidity.
50
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
Moretti's acting skills aren't up to the demands of the main role, and his portrait of family life is too simplistic to be credible.
60
A movie more to be prescribed than recommended.
88
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
This is a superior motion picture -- an example of the pleasant surprise that can result when a skilled director departs from his usual style. By daring to be honest and unsparing, The Son's Room is meaningful.
70
Wall Street Journal by Joe Morgenstern
I found this film deeply affecting as well. It has a gravity that's independent of technique, and an engaging spirit that's enhanced by flashes of comedy.
50
Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan
A measured, decorous, at times pat film that manages to be quietly moving because it touches on something real.
75
Baltimore Sun by Michael Sragow
The Son's Room is the anti-"In the Bedroom." I mean that as a compliment.