Pauline Chan's film is a jumbled mixture of redemptive uplift and genre hijinks.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
New York Daily News by Elizabeth Weitzman
There’s no explaining the presence of Guy Pearce in Pauline Chan’s sappy, atonal family drama. But it’s easy enough to understand why he looks so uncomfortable throughout.
New York Post by Farran Smith Nehme
The main problem is the criminal subplot, full of Aussie villains snarling “mate” at one another and landing bloodless punches on Dean. 33 Postcards is what happens when someone grafts a prison angle onto “Pollyanna” — the tough guys just get in the way.
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
Equal parts thriller and feel-good inspirational tale, 33 Postcards succeeds mainly in provoking the viewer’s sense of disbelief.
The script's programmatic feel-goodery smooths out everything strange and noteworthy about Dean and Mei Mei's relationship into an unmemorable and unconvincing blandness.
The A.V. Club by Mike D'Angelo
This sort of global co-production is becoming more and more common, but it’s rarely quite so calculated; you can practically see the scale being used to ensure that each location receives equal narrative weight, as characters take actions that make sense only according to that metric.
The New York Times by Neil Genzlinger
[A] sweet if not very credible film.
The dependable Australian actor Guy Pearce is always welcome, even in a well-meaning dud like 33 Postcards.
Los Angeles Times by Sheri Linden
The climactic collision of agendas is even more contrived than everything leading to it.