59
Metascore
28 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittAs quietly dazzling as a small, very precious stone.
- 91Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumA realistic drama that looks and feels as inevitably true and moving as a good documentary.
- 80VarietyDavid RooneyVarietyDavid RooneyStory of a still-grieving widower and his two troubled teenage sons is distinguished by its emotional integrity, sustained mood of aching melancholy and superbly understated performances.
- 75New York PostNew York PostA well-built machine that dunks you into a big warm vat of sadness. There's no plot: It's a situation drama. Instead of punch lines, it delivers regular shots of heartbreak.
- 70The New York TimesLawrence Van GelderThe New York TimesLawrence Van GelderThe boys, particularly Mr. Webber as Pete, are astonishingly good, and Ms. Monaghan, who looks like a slightly more tomboyish Liv Tyler, makes a deep impression in a minor role. Mr. LaPaglia, of the television series "Without a Trace," brings a tender gravity to the shell-shocked Jim.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasSternfeld's approach is rigorously minimalist, which is a plus since the Winters family is in no way extraordinary or distinctive.
- 60Village VoiceLaura SinagraVillage VoiceLaura SinagraWhat makes Winter Solstice, a nice little Jersey vignette about a widower and his two teenage sons, so striking is writer-director Josh Sternfeld's respect for the verbal shorthand of family interaction.
- 40L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorToo sensitive for this world or any other, this stifling portrait of a family stuck in bereavement offers the painful sight of at least two highly accomplished actors frozen for lack of direction from novice writer-director Josh Sternfeld.
- 40TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghSternfeld's script, developed at the Sundance screenwriters' lab, is spare to the point of stinginess; individual scenes play beautifully without adding up to anything, stranding the actors in an emotional vacuum that drains the life from their performances.
- 10The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonThe A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonThe result is a numbing void, and a long, frustrating wait for something to happen.