54
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaPhiladelphia InquirerSteven ReaThere's whimsy and raunchy humor here, but also an underlying sense of darkness and despair.
- 80L.A. WeeklyChuck WilsonL.A. WeeklyChuck WilsonDeftly mixing the visual exuberance of “Trainspotting” with the familial pathos of “Angela’s Ashes,” the gifted van Groeningen offers gleeful depictions of drinking contests and naked bicycle races that gradually give way to a sense of moral peril for young Gunther.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterWhile The Misfortunates careens with madcap hilarity through the Strobbe's tumultuous lives, it also resonates with its serious story undercurrent. In essence, it is the story of a boy's struggle to survive, and, in this case, evolve.
- 70VarietyVarietyCalling the Strobbe clan a working-class family would imply that some of its members worked (or had class), but none of the lowlife protags do in the visually robust and often hilarious Flemish tragicomedy The Misfortunates.
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceOften very funny, and the rolling remember-when vignettes trump the typical low-country wild-hairy-man sideshows.
- 50New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoThe acting is super -- these guys know how to be sweet and disgusting -- and the story provides its share of laughs. But after a while, the one-note movie, directed by Felix van Groeningen, grows tiresome.
- 30The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisThey drink at the pub, they drink at home. They drink until they pass out and then, after they have had a good vomit, they drink again. If that sounds too disgusting to watch, it almost is.
- 20New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierThe title of The Misfortunates really applies to any audiences unlucky enough to sit through it.