46
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Village VoiceMark HolcombVillage VoiceMark HolcombStilted and gloomy as it sounds (and sometimes is), The Tenants gets by on its nimble approximation of Malamud's robust prose, subtle turns of deadpan humor and gut-tingling menace, and remarkable performances. McDermott does credible work here, but Snoop's casting is a stroke of genius.
- 63New York PostNew York PostHarry likes Willie's white girlfriend, played by the Australian actress Rose Byrne with a riveting, sad sexiness. So much screen time is devoted to the men that her part is underwritten, but there are novels in her eyes.
- 50VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibKeeps grimly glued to its one-note premise, relieved by nary a glimmer of humor, surprise or personality.
- 50The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenThe message about race relations in America conveyed by The Tenants, a small, serious, but choppy and psychologically cauterized screen adaptation of Bernard Malamud's 1971 novel, is dire.
- 50TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxHarkening back to a time when race relations in New York City were even worse than they seem today.
- 50SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirIsn't exactly bad and isn't exactly good. It's raw in some places and overcooked in others.
- 42Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerThe stage is set for a full-scale racial conflict, but neither actor is really up to the task - McDermott seems lost in his voluminous beard and Snoop Dogg spits his lines out.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckAlternately tedious and bombastic, the film never achieves a consistent tone, and the characters and situations, while seemingly played on a realistic level, are neither remotely credible nor satisfyingly surreal.
- 38New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsUnremittingly bleak and hopelessly outdated parable of American race relations.