Antwone FisherMovie Reviews

Gifts + Promos

Fandango Gift Card

Give the gift of movies with Fandango Bucks Gift Certificates! Design your own gift card, or choose from our collection.

Avengers Gift Cards

Superhero fans! Don’t miss out on these Limited Edition Avengers gift cards!

Need Help?
Go
Avg. Critic Score: 62 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 Iffy for 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Antwone Fisher has a confrontation with his past, and a speech to the mother who abandoned him, and a reunion with his family, that create great, heartbreaking, joyous moments. Read full review

  • 80
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    Blessedly free of the self-righteous histrionics and sentimentality that so often cheapen powerful personal stories. Read full review

  • 80
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    An assured directorial debut that goes straight for the tear ducts. Read full review

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    The uniformly fine performances are a tribute to Washington, who plays the shrink with his customary command. Read full review

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Intense but dignified. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    Rarest and most impressive of all, Antwone Fisher is a serious drama set in the African American community, one that showcases powerful, confrontational scenes between black actors. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    A movie so profoundly in touch with its own feelings that it transcends its formulaic tics. Read full review

  • 60
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Affecting but formulaic. Read full review

  • 60
    Variety | Eddie Cockrell

    Washington reveals himself to be a filmmaker with a clean, uncluttered storytelling style. Too often, overtly inspirational material such as this can become strident or mawkish. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Has warmth and integrity, but it lacks the urgency of a story that had to be told. Read full review

View more reviews for Antwone Fisher on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ Devastating story of abuse based on real life.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie deals frankly, if not graphically, with severe child abuse, including sexual abuse. Characters use strong language, including the "N" word (used by African-Americans) and a gay slur. Fisher is justifiably proud of himself for not drinking, using drugs, or having promiscuous sex.
  • Families can talk about what kept Fisher strong through all of the abuse. How did he have enough of a sense of himself to resist becoming a criminal, a drug user, or an abuser? Families can also discuss the theme of forgiveness, the ability "to regard without ill will despite an offence." Why is forgiveness more important for the person doing the forgiving than for the person being forgiven? Talk about Fisher's saying that he was ashamed for being unwanted, and the importance of forgiving those who do not appreciate us as a way of appreciating ourselves.
The good stuff
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: Strong, brave, wise black characters.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Severe child abuse
  • sex false3 Sex: Sexual situations, sexual abuse of a child
  • language false3 Language: Some strong language
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Character is proud of not using drugs
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Antwone Fisher Featured Trailers + Video Clips

Facebook Movie Fans

Fan Fandango on Facebook