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John Hartl, Seattle Times: Although Honeydripper won a screenplay award at the San Sebastian Film Festival, it's not Sayles' strongest work. Part of the problem is that it keeps building to a rock-'n'-roll payoff that never quite arrives. Read more
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: While this may not be the rowdiest birth-of-rock-'n'-roll film ever made -- it's very likely the least rowdy -- Sayles addresses a transitional moment in his own patient, precise way. Read more
Scott Tobias, AV Club: The film gets better as it goes along, and it closes with a rousing musical flourish, as immensely charismatic newcomer Clark Jr. finally hits the stage. At last, Sayles' sleepy drama wakes with a start. Read more
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Has John Sayles finally lost his mojo? Read more
Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times: Together with production designer Toby Corbett and costume designer Hope Hanafin, they get their visual cues from the narrative and the music, creating a rich, down-to-earth environment where violence and magic seem equally possible. Read more
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: The wonderful cast, mainly black, carries it all with ease, even sailing past occasional false moments. Read more
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: It survives on its versatile leads, its smoky cinematography (courtesy of Dick Pope) and its seductive musical performances, which run from gospel to jazz to blues to the to the electrifying kick-start of early rock 'n' roll. Read more
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Honeydripper, is medium-grade [John] Sayles. Read more
Tom Long, Detroit News: It's a solid history lesson that's less solid as a movie, simply because so much of the weight seems to be crammed into a too-fragile framework. As a film, Honeydripper is fine history put to less fine use. Read more
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: The large cast is admirable, but the joint doesn't so much jump as shuffle earnestly from foot to foot. Read more
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press: It's best to forget the story here and focus on those small moments that shine in any Sayles film. Read more
Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly: The only surprise in all this scripted sentiment is its apparent conclusion that maybe the blues deserve to be dead Read more
Rafer Guzman, Newsday: It's a lovely portrait of a fabled time and place, but wasn't there a bit of ugliness, too? Read more
David Denby, New Yorker: Moviemaking seems to have become almost magically easy for this independent writer-director. Read more
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: Honeydripper takes forever to develop its characters, its period and its location. But once it's done all that, the payoffs are rich. Read more
Kyle Smith, New York Post: Written and directed by the indefatigable indie idol John Sayles, the movie is well-acted, but it's as talky as if it were written for the stage, with fatally slow pacing. Read more
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: John Sayles is a natural storyteller and national treasure, dedicated to spinning narratives of America, state by state, into a vibrant quilt of 20th-century American history. Read more
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: [Sayles is] more concerned with spinning a ground-level human comedy than searching for pie in the sky. His movie is rich with characters and flowing with music. Read more
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: A leisurely, atmospheric production with lots of time to appreciate [Sayles'] largely African-American cast, along with rocking musical interludes and just the faintest wash of spirituality. Read more
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Even more than the music in this musically rich picture, the great pleasure of Honeydripper is in watching Danny Glover as Tyrone Purvis, the club owner. Read more
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: A musical period piece that manages to be lighthearted and socially conscious. Read more
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: A contemplative fable, Honeydripper locates the moment but misses the heart-pounding, gut-wrenching explosion -- the history is there, the thrill isn't. Read more
Philip Marchand, Toronto Star: Honeydripper, by veteran American director John Sayles, shows just how much life music can give to a movie. Read more
John Anderson, Variety: In the endearing musical time-piece Honeydripper, the indie icon [Sayles] lets his narrative gifts take the lead and the social issues follow like a tight bass line. Read more
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Trudging nobly under a mantle of impeccably earnest intentions and a fussy, too-quaint-by-half production design, Honeydripper lags and drags to its utterly predictable end. There's not a spark of spontaneity or soul about it. Read more