76
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100As a drama, Pass Over is a masterful tragedy. As a reflection of the world, it is all too real and utterly woeful.
- 88RogerEbert.comNick AllenRogerEbert.comNick AllenTrue to Lee’s reputation of playing with the chemistry of storytelling, Pass Over has the air of an experiment and the clarity of poetry, as inspired by the news and told by artistry beyond far beyond Lee’s. In the grand scheme of his filmography it’s one of his smaller projects, but it is by no means a minor work.
- 83The Film StageDaniel SchindelThe Film StageDaniel SchindelOnce again, Spike Lee has found an innovative theatrical production and brought it to blistering cinematic life.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeLee draws us into the characters' space, judiciously using direct-address at the very end when all this inaction turns suddenly consequential. Pass Over is no happier in the end than the play that inspired it or the real events that inform how we interpret it
- 80Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinHopefully, Nwandu's compact tale, so rich with jarring authenticity and boldly configured social commentary, can now reach a wide and appreciative audience via Lee's provocative, propulsive film.
- 80Film ThreatBradley GibsonFilm ThreatBradley GibsonUsually, films of plays are dull things. Limited access to camera angles, bad sound, lighting that doesn’t work for the movie camera. Theater and film are (appropriately) distinct media. Enter Spike Lee. He’s a master craftsman and his skills are as relevant as ever. Lee made use of all those potential disadvantages to inform his cinematic vision and encapsulate the stage performance into a striking moving picture.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyEntertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyThe dialogue mixes Sunday school and the streets, and it’s funny, profane, and occasionally poignant when it’s not a bit too on the nose.
- 50Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenPass Over spins African-American hardship into existential myth, suggesting along the way such plays as Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit.