La fée 2011

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: Although less technically polished than "The Artist" and splashed with bright color, "The Fairy" shares some of that film's qualities, for good (funny and sweet) and bad (sentimental and ingratiating). Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: It's a slight film, and it's over just as you're thinking it should be, but it's both sweet and refreshingly tart... Read more

Noel Murray, AV Club: Somewhere between The Artist and The Fairy lies the silent-era homage that's truly worthy of its influences. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: The vibe's too rarefied to last the length of a feature film - and it doesn't - but when "The Fairy" is on, it creates entirely new comic synapses in your head. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: Physical comedy is so rare in movies now that a team like Bruno Romy, Fiona Gordon, and Dominique Abel is something to be treasured. Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: For all its brazen goofiness, The Fairy is subtly designed to reward careful viewing. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: The persistent whimsy gets a bit wearisome, but it's hard to dismiss any film so determined to make us happy. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: You'll get a kick out of "The Fairy,'' even if you don't believe in fairies. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: It's wonderful to be reminded that the film universe is more diverse than the Oscars normally suggest - and also that movies can be lightweight entertainments and also deeply strange. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Its appeal is ... in watching people who have devised their own original style of comic performance and have taken it to a rare level of refinement. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: There may be better films in the theaters this week, but there surely is none easier to like than "The Fairy." Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Do yourself and your kids a favor. On the way to multiplex to see "The Avengers," tell them "The Fairy" is about an all-powerful superheroine. Someday, they'll find the words to thank you. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: The story cuts corners, so it's not the masterpiece these filmmakers may yet create - but when they're on, this is jolly and so cute you'll sigh. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: When the lovey-doveyness turns cloying and the atrophied message-mongering creeps in, you wish the threesome knew when to keep their traps shut. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: The Belgo-Canadian-French trio, who specialize in pantomime and circus-style theatrics, have a clownlike knack for finding humor in the everyday. Read more

Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: While every scene is art-directed with zest and innovatively staged, The Fairy rarely inspires outright laughter. At least it respects its influences more than does The Artist. Read more