30
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyIf the resulting drama, Stonewall, seldom escapes its cliches or cookie-cutter characters, it also recounts a political origin story in relatable, often affecting terms.
- 50The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThough it delivers disaster-movie specialist Roland Emmerich’s usual mix of pop iconography, cornball Americana, and conspiracy theory, and benefits from some better-than-average performances in hokey roles, Stonewall is a farrago.
- 40The GuardianHenry BarnesThe GuardianHenry BarnesAn outrageously misjudged drama that flirts with the story of the birth of the gay rights movement.
- 40Screen DailyJohn HazeltonScreen DailyJohn HazeltonDanny’s story isn’t dramatic or affecting enough to carry the film and other characters never develop into anything more than colourful ciphers. Irvine is appealing and relatable, but his performance isn’t always convincing and he’s handicapped by some clunky dialogue.
- 40VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeStonewall is no disaster, and to all those waiting to tear it apart, perhaps the best that can be said is that Emmerich’s film is neither as bad nor as insensitive as predicted, though it’s politics certainly are problematic.
- 40Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenMaybe Stonewall will have more value to younger viewers for whom the riots and gay marginalization in general are distant history and might be vivified by watching the film. Yet even though the film’s heart seems genuine, its structure is buttressed by falsies.
- 38Slant MagazineRichard Scott LarsonSlant MagazineRichard Scott LarsonAt its worst, the film dangerously repackages the queer experience using language invented by those originally deployed to break it apart.
- Every single one of Emmerich’s moves can be seen coming from several miles away, and yet, not because they adhere to any semblance of historical fact. Somehow, Emmerich makes a severely underserved narrative feel groaningly familiar.
- 25HitfixDrew McWeenyHitfixDrew McWeenyStonewall is the anti-"Selma," a movie that not only fails to fully capture the energy and importance of a true event but that fails so completely as a film that it is almost impressive.
- 20TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeStonewall somehow manages to be simultaneously bloated and anemic, overstuffed and underpopulated.