68
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Village VoiceVillage VoiceFollowing a hardworking, goodhearted man as life beats the hell out of him, this documentary is moving almost to the point of exploitation.
- 80L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorIf this terrific documentary doesn't adjust your idea of what it means to have a hard life and a good attitude, you haven’t been paying attention.
- Pain, poetry and perseverance form the backbone of Mark Becker's compassionate, well-observed documentary.
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickMark Becker's Romantico is beautifully realized on old-fashioned film. And that's only part of its charms.
- 75New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanIt will be a long time before you forget the deep pain etched into the weary face of Carmelo Muñiz, the mariachi singer at the center of Mark Becker's immensely moving documentary.
- 75Boston GlobeWesley MorrisBoston GlobeWesley MorrisThe musician is candid about his own demons and gives the filmmakers access to his wife, two very different daughters, and, for a nicely done montage, his family photographs.
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyEngrossing pic is impressively shot, edited and scored.
- 60Film ThreatFilm ThreatWorks best as a beautifully executed and inspirational work of self-sacrifice.
- 60The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenThis modest, unassuming documentary about an illegal Mexican immigrant living in San Francisco is a case study of a life defined by poverty.
- 50Chicago ReaderChicago ReaderCarmelo, the central figure, returns home when his mother's health begins to decline, and his love of family, something of an abstraction in the first part, leaves him deeply divided: he wants to care for them personally, but he can better provide for them by returning to the U.S.