Washington Post by Michael O'Sullivan

Sean Penn makes a striking screen presence in This Must Be the Place, a smart, funny and original road movie by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo").

The New York Times by A.O. Scott

Maybe, beneath the stylistic flourishes and bursts of operatic emotion, it is a simple story of psychological struggle, about a man in midlife reckoning with the damage of his past. But to settle on that interpretation is to deny or discount the splendid strangeness of Mr. Sorrentino's vision - and also, therefore, of the curious corners of reality he discovers along the way.

Slant Magazine by Joseph Jon Lanthier

The film believes in maturity, but only as a freely continual process of acceptance.

Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

Few actors have played a wider variety of characters, and even fewer have done it without making it seem like a stunt.

The A.V. Club

This Must Be The Place practically dares viewers not to find it ridiculous, but few will accept the challenge.

The A.V. Club by Mike D Angelo

This Must Be The Place practically dares viewers not to find it ridiculous, but few will accept the challenge.

Variety

Quirky, hilarious and moving, Sorrentino's first English-lingo production is a road trip of stunning scope yet deep intimacy, featuring an aged rock star-turned-Nazi hunter played by Sean Penn at his transformative best.

Total Film by Andrew Lowry

Succeeding against the odds and adroitly blending its disparate elements, this is a fine entry into the Eurodirector-gawps-at-America subgenre.

Variety by Jay Weissberg

Quirky, hilarious and moving, Sorrentino's first English-lingo production is a road trip of stunning scope yet deep intimacy, featuring an aged rock star-turned-Nazi hunter played by Sean Penn at his transformative best.

Village Voice by Chris Packham

Sorrentino's languorous photography, understated humor, and quiet but profound dramatic reveals coil together into something organic, whole, and achingly sweet.

Arizona Republic by Bill Goodykoontz

It's hard to imagine sitting through the film without Penn in the role of Cheyenne. But there he is, in all his intense, bizarre glory, almost daring us to come along for the ride and rewarding us with a compelling trip when we accept.

Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten

Mixing faded rock glory with Nazi-hunting and American road-tripping creates an odd hybrid that is completely transfixing, although some viewers are likely to find this film an awkward mishmash. The drama, however, is consistently offset by comic underpinnings, which are well-played by the actors and seamlessly presented by Sorrentino.

The New Yorker by Anthony Lane

This Must Be the Place is dazzling to behold, not least when our hero leaves Ireland. [29 Oct. & 5 Nov. 2012, p.128]

Time Out by Keith Uhlich

The film's numerous idiosyncrasies - virtues at the outset - ultimately suffocate it.

The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw

The Holocaust material was not entirely successful, though certainly transmitted with absolute certainty and sincerity. This Must Be the Place is not my favourite of Sorrentino's films, but it certainly deserved inclusion at Cannes, and deserves to be watched for the glorious Byrne moments alone.

Empire by Angie Errigo

Determinedly quirky and cool, arresting and ultimately too baffling to be satisfying, although Penn is priceless. Cultdom beckons.

Boxoffice Magazine by Pete Hammond

With a sure-to-be-talked about performance by Sean Penn and the dueling themes of overcoming depression and revenge against Nazi atrocities, This Must Be The Place is anywhere BUT the place for moviegoers who aren't in the mood for something different.

The Hollywood Reporter by Todd McCarthy

Eccentric, misguided and occasionally charming and sweet, this curiosity item with Sean Penn in one of his nuttier performances is unlikely to be embraced critically or commercially.