58
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyThe First Saturday in May soon digs in its heels with acute portraits of six trainers, including a paralyzed ex-cyclist in California and an MS-stricken Lexington native who works for the royal family of Dubai.
- 75The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan Rabin"May" uses the quirks and well-worn traditions of horse racing as a vehicle to quietly explore idiosyncrasies of the human condition.
- 75TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghHorse lovers and racing enthusiasts are this likable film's obvious audience, but you don't have to care about the Derby to get caught up in the stories of the people and the horses behind the two minutes of glory.
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickFor anyone with an interest in racing, "First Saturday" is a sure bet.
- 60Village VoiceVillage VoiceFirst Saturday isn't exactly a winner, but it places.
- 60Washington PostStephen HunterWashington PostStephen HunterIt's hardly a muckraking piece but more a celebration of racing at the high end and the extremely prosperous folks who play it.
- The result is a feeling of standing in an OTB with lots of races from lots of places--too many stories calling for attention--instead of the Kentucky Derby, which for two minutes each year focuses the sports world like a laser.
- 50Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenMany questions occur to the viewer along the way but are never addressed by the filmmakers.
- 50Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. JonesBrothers Brad and John Hennegan track six thoroughbreds in the qualifying races running up to the 2006 Kentucky Derby, yet the horseflesh isn't as interesting to them as the owners and trainers, an odd assortment of moneymen and equine gurus with a culture all their own.
- 40The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisThere are a lot of horses but absolutely no sense in The First Saturday in May, a glib, lazy documentary about six trainers on the proverbial road to the 2006 Kentucky Derby.