Hallam Foe 2007

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: [A] prettily photographed but relationally science-fictional coming-of-age blather. Read more

Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: While the film playfully telegraphs its inspirations, Mister Foe never persuasively comes together as a dark fable about an adolescent misfit stuck in loss. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: Although it's nice to see Mackenzie find uplift in the erotic, what helps drive Mister Foe is how deftly he turns chasm into intimacy between Bell and Myles, both of whom give sharply observed, charismatic portrayals. Read more

Anthony Lane, New Yorker: Mister Foe flirts too often with the unlikely and the foolish, yet there is something to admire in the nerve of its reckless characters, so uneasy in their skins. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Jamie Bell gives a watchable performance in this self-conscious, coming-of-age drama, though the film's overall effect is best described as David Lynch lite. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Jamie Bell has his best role since Billy Elliot in Mister Foe, a darkly comic tale of a twisted teen on the cusp of adulthood. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: A dark, often funny Oedipal and erotic tale from Young Adam director David Mackenzie, Mister Foe benefits from the emotionally and physically agile performance of Bell. Read more

David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle: Bell was a decent kid actor and a terrific dancer in Billy Elliot, but he's grown into a really first-rate actor. Read more

Dave Calhoun, Time Out: As a study of grief, this is silly and nonsensical. Taken less seriously, Mackenzie delivers a light dance over heavy issues, and the romance works - but how flippantly can we take death, grief and suicide? Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: You find yourself wishing that what happened in Edinburgh stayed in Edinburgh. Read more

Derek Elley, Variety: Tip-top performances, led by young British thesp Jamie Bell, and a deftly handled tone reflecting all the title teen's confused emotions make Hallam Foe a viewing delight. Read more

Vadim Rizov, Village Voice: What makes Mister Foe such unlikely fun is Bell's accomplished smart-ass routine and Mackenzie's blithe attitude toward taboos. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: It's a coming of age you can believe in. Read more