Because "Petrol" is so grim, its few moments of repentance and reconciliation don't feel as contrived as they might otherwise; if any film has earned the right to be sentimental, it's this one.
50
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
Hoffs' Dublin appears to consist of stock street footage and a lot of stand-in California, which makes a hash of an exterior scene in which the characters complain about the incessant rain as the sun clearly shines through the damp.
40
Film ThreatEric Campos
Film ThreatEric Campos
Bottom line, what I took away from this movie was – that drunk guy sure was funny.
40
VarietyScott Foundas
VarietyScott Foundas
It all rings particularly hollow in light of several recent pics ("Last Orders" and "The Barbarian Invasions" chief among them) that have explored similar terrain with much greater emotion and intelligence.
40
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
Solid performances and a literary feel help turn a standard family-rift drama into a dry but saucy narrative.
This is the kind of movie in which characters revere poetry, yet hardly anything about the writing (it's based on a stage play by Joseph O'Connor) or directing (by Tamar Simon Hoffs) qualifies as poetic.
30
Village Voice
Village Voice
Tamar Simon Hoffs's bland-as-boiled-cabbage adaptation of Joseph O'Connor's play finally hobbles into theaters.