49
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinDespite its brief running time, the film feels padded by sightseeing footage and a warm but diversionary visit between Ahmed and his Cairo-area relatives. Still, Just Like Us proves an amusing, uniquely unifying effort.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe movie is fast, funny and light on its feet, dipping less into politics or religion than into cultural quirks and characteristics.
- 60Village VoiceVillage VoiceThe film is largely effective as a breezy travelogue. Still, Ahmed plays the "Muslims, they're just like us" bit a little too hard, pointedly ignoring the obvious parallels between the "freedom" provided by imported stand-up and the endless McDonald's signs that flicker throughout the region.
- 60The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisA laudable if lightweight argument for broader minds and thicker skins.
- 50Chicago ReaderAndrea GronvallChicago ReaderAndrea GronvallThe travelogue sequences indicate how widely Middle Eastern cultures vary, but there are few revealing personal encounters in this well-intentioned but minor film.
- 42The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe key mistake was Ahmed's choice to direct it himself; it's promotional when it might be revealing of impasses (and commonalities) between cultures and the complex tactics comedians use to address it.
- 25Slant MagazineNick SchagerSlant MagazineNick SchagerRather than a mature, multifaceted approach, the director's portraits of Dubai, Beirut, Riyadh, and Cairo are heavy on still-photo montages comprised primarily of smiling young people and spontaneous encounters with random jokesters.
- 25New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithThe American Muslim comedian Ahmed Ahmed does lots of jokes about how he isn't a terrorist. How odd: As I sat through his tepid act, I could have sworn he was bombing.