50
The story as a whole, doesn’t quite click.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
50
Los Angeles Times by Gary Goldstein
Olympic Dreams is a wispy, quasi-romantic dramedy whose affecting moments are eclipsed by its overly random, sometimes awkwardly played and constructed narrative.
75
The Film Stage by Jared Mobarak
Kroll is very good in a role that allows him to pivot away from his usual comic relief persona to be sweet and funny and complicated, but Pappas is even better as a woman unsure of her very identity outside of the sport to which she’s dedicated her entire life.
70
An engagingly wistful dramedy.
75
Olympic Dreams ‘s goal isn’t to inundate you with complex themes or ideas. Simplicity is key for this film – it all comes down to a man and a woman who want to spend time together and then…spend time together. Layering that with the gorgeous Olympic environment makes for an enjoyable, often mesmerizing watch.
50
The A.V. Club by Mike D'Angelo
This is a more professional-looking production, with a much stronger cast, but it has the same half-assed feel.
40
Olympic Dreams' backstage look at the 2018 Olympics is much more compelling than the movie's bland and contrived romantic comedy storyline.
75
They turn a chilly environment warm and a conventional story into something surprising, lived-in, with the glorious romantic ache that too many romantic comedies can’t be bothered with.
50
The New York Times by Teo Bugbee
Compared to the drama of the competition, the story and its characters always feel slight, an excuse to hang out among Olympians rather than a movie that builds upon (or for that matter critiques) its surroundings.