79
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranThis infectious and exuberant film wins you over by focusing on the enthusiasm and enviable good spirits of the smart and engaging young people who compete in “the Olympics of science fairs.”
- 83Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerIt’s impossible not to be charmed by these students, by their aspirations and idealism, not to mention the fact that one of them, or someone like them, may well end up winning a Nobel Prize. It’s also impossible not to recognize, although the movie does not make a political point of it, that a goodly percentage of these participants are first- or second-generation immigrants to the United States.
- 80Film ThreatAlan NgFilm ThreatAlan NgStructurally, Science Fair is sound. Its a cross-section of human-interest stories is inspiring. The subjects are engaging and worth rooting for. It looks in depth at the processes of competing in a science fair. And the revelation of winners is exciting and nail-biting.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweThe Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweFirst-time long-form directors Costantini and Foster, working from a script co-written with Jeffrey Plunkett, demonstrate admirable resourcefulness and empathy approaching their diverse teen subjects.
- 80VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeAn affectionate and supremely entertaining celebration of the all-American nerd, Science Fair may look like a straightforward super-kid contest doc, à la “Spellbound” and “Mad Hot Ballroom,” but there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes of Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster’s thoroughly researched crowd-pleaser.
- It’s fine; it works. The future is bright.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreBravo, National Geographic Channel, for flying in the face of the zeitgeist, getting this made and putting it in front of audiences in theaters, and later on TV.
- 75RogerEbert.comMonica CastilloRogerEbert.comMonica CastilloScience Fair melts your heart almost as soon as it begins, with an emotional clip that went viral of a young winner who is so overjoyed, he cries on stage while holding his award.
- 70The New York TimesTeo BugbeeThe New York TimesTeo BugbeeThanks to its lovable subjects, Science Fair nails the presentation, but its research is only surface deep.