Declaration of WarMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Declaration of War."

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

  • 91
    The A.V. Club |

    Sprinting through hospital rooms, parties, sterile corridors, and grayish courtyards, Declaration Of War salutes its characters' capacity to step up and meet life's harshest unexpected demands. Read full review

  • 88
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Joe Williams

    The tonal shifts, the "Amelie"-style voiceover and the punk-retro soundtrack may jar some viewers who expect uninterrupted violins, but Declaration of War is alternative therapy that really works. Read full review

  • 88
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    Valérie Donzelli's Declaration of War deals with issues that may scare audiences away. Don't let it. Read full review

  • 80
    Time Out New York | David Fear

    Parenting relies on stamina as much as compassion, and Donzelli has, against all odds, crafted a genuinely moving ode to both the tenacity of filial love under extreme circumstances and the toll it extracts. Consider this a coup. Read full review

  • 80
    Village Voice |

    Shot in the actual hospital where Donzelli and Elkaïm's actual son was treated for cancer, Declaration of War turns autobiography into thrilling expressionist art. Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    For all its quirks and tangents, Declaration of War feels entirely alive. This story of two people who transform fear into action is inspiring. Read full review

  • 75
    New York Post | Kyle Smith

    France's Declaration of War has it all: comedy, romance, fantasy, musical interludes and a child with a brain tumor. Wait - what? Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Amy Biancolli

    What a treat to find a movie so bright-eyed and true - without a trace of bathos - in its depiction of such a harrowing subject. Read full review

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    An adventurous song selection and stylish narrative techniques put a strangely romantic face on a harrowing story that's a parental nightmare. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Declaration of War is a domestic comedy as much as it is a medical drama. This movie has been made by the couple it is about, Valerie Donzelli and Jeremie Elkaim. She directed, they wrote it together, and in real life, their relationship also fell apart. They approach their fraught story with a surprising freshness. Read full review

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Dave White

3.5

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French for 'brain tumor.' Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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