San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle

This is a profound saga that makes for a great American movie.

Entertainment Weekly

Credit Race for showcasing its hero’s human flaws, but the movie unfortunately lets him get away with them a little too easily (his grand makeup gesture to Ruth comes off more creepy than romantic).

The Seattle Times by Soren Andersen

What the picture lacks is a certain spark. It’s a workmanlike effort that diligently covers a lot of bases...but never achieves a transcendence that befits a figure like Owens.

Entertainment Weekly by Christian Holub

Credit Race for showcasing its hero’s human flaws, but the movie unfortunately lets him get away with them a little too easily (his grand makeup gesture to Ruth comes off more creepy than romantic).

St. Louis Post-Dispatch by Calvin Wilson

James makes for a charismatic hero, and former “Saturday Night Live” star Sudeikis is a revelation as the steadfast Snyder.

USA Today by Brian Truitt

Race makes its title's double meaning all too clear, and at a time when the Oscars and movies, in general, struggle with finding racial balance, two guys of different skin colors coming together for some sports-movie magic is a fitting and truly welcoming lapping of the competition.

Philadelphia Inquirer by Tirdad Derakhshani

The film delivers what it promises - an education and a thrill.

The Verge by Tasha Robinson

Race is exactly the kind of film the Academy loves to honor: bland, uplifting, respectable, engaged with historical social issues, but not too controversial or directly tied to the present.

TheWrap by Inkoo Kang

The Jesse Owens to cheer on here is, sure, the fastest man in the world, but also the canny would-be celebrity who knew exactly how to bet on himself in a world that had little use for his dignity and intellect. If that’s not an inspirational story, I don’t know what is.

The New York Times by Stephen Holden

If Race is a standard inspirational biopic that exalts the legend of an athletic hero, at least it doesn’t soft-pedal the racism that Owens encountered at every turn.

Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten

As Owens, relative newcomer Stephan James delivers a stirring performance, and as his coach, comedian Jason Sudeikis turns in a solid and smirk-free performance.

Washington Post by Alan Zilberman

The film is handsomely mounted and provides a window into the tough choices Owens faced, yet its dramatic licenses oversell its message.

Variety by Andrew Barker

Stephen Hopkins’ film offers a safe, middlebrow slice of history that beats a snoozy lecture any day. Making a few admirable attempts to complicate what could have been a standard-issue inspirational sports narrative, Race is better than it has to be, but not by too much.

The Hollywood Reporter by Sheri Linden

Owens’ triumph is long overdue for big-screen treatment, and director Stephen Hopkins delivers stirring moments amid the tension-free stretches, particularly once the action moves to Berlin.

The A.V. Club by Jesse Hassenger

The rest of Race has other moments of engagement in a slickly produced and watchable package. But ultimately, it offers history told as a series of passing anecdotes.

Chicago Tribune by Michael Phillips

What's the point of telling Jesse Owens' story if you don't get into what made him tick, and drove his success as an athlete?

Miami Herald by René Rodríguez

Race never delves under the skins of its characters, because they’re intended to be used only as symbols — reminders of an important chapter in history rendered quaint by this noble but patronizing movie.