--- title: "Manchester by the Sea: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/manchester-by-the-sea/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/manchester-by-the-sea" critics_score: 92 critics_reviews: 19 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Manchester by the Sea (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 92 from 19 reviews: 19 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The consensus is strongly positive, with praise centred on Casey Affleck’s restrained performance and Lonergan’s refusal to offer easy recovery from grief. Most critics find the emotional force in ordinary conversations, awkward encounters and characters who cannot say what they mean. The writing’s unexpected humour is a recurring pleasure, particularly in the uncle-nephew relationship, giving the sadness room to breathe. Supporting performances also draw praise, with Lucas Hedges’s natural presence and Michelle Williams’s emotional directness frequently noted. The differences concern pacing and emphasis rather than the film’s central achievements, and the spread remains firmly positive. The Hollywood Reporter finds the second half overextended, while The Wrap also notes that the depiction of life after tragedy can become lengthy. NME admires the refusal of easy catharsis but considers Williams underused. The Evening Standard questions the premise as contrived, yet finds the detail, jokes and performances persuasive enough to overcome that reservation. ## Little White Lies — Sophie Monks Kaufman Rating 4/5/4. 12 January 2017. It is among the best films of the year, too funny and too tragic, bound by humane writing and powerful performances. The critic singles out Casey Affleck's career-best restrained portrayal of a man trapped in grief, alongside sharp dialogue and everyday moments that explode into emotion. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/manchester-by-the-sea/) ## Radio Times — Damon Wise Rating 5/5. A masterful Sundance hit with electrifying, Oscar-winning form from Casey Affleck as a surly janitor facing his past. It singles out the easy-going low-key humour amid thick tragedy, especially in scenes with the teenage nephew, making the emotional showdowns more electric. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-3wtlfq/manchester-by-the-sea/) ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Rating ★★★★★. 13 January 2017. An emotionally devastating study of grief and loss that is one of the best films in recent times and a front-runner for awards. It singles out Casey Affleck's astonishing, career-best performance for particular praise. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/manchester-by-the-sea-review-41049) ## The Times Rating ★★★★★. 13 January 2017. The critic praises it as the most emotionally intelligent movie in a long time, with a complex taciturn performance from Casey Affleck that makes the heart ache. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/manchester-by-the-sea-2sg6kgxdg) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 5/5. 24 January 2016. Festival review. A tremendously moving portrait of grief with rare poise and honesty. It singles out Casey Affleck's complex, brooding central performance as a man long past caring, in a dark and courageous film about coping with trauma that offers no easy rebound. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/manchester-by-the-sea) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 13 January 2017. Despite a hokey premise, the film is a masterpiece with an eye for detail, an ear for jokes, and strong non-A-list performances. It singles out Michelle Williams' powerful, bone-cutting work in limited screen time for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/manchester-by-the-sea-film-review-all-this-misery-adds-up-to-a-masterpiece-a3440021.html) ## The AV Club Rating A. 25 January 2016. Festival review. Lonergan's third feature marries emotional intimacy with complicated ambition, resulting in a tremendously powerful film that operates in a near-constant state of heightened emotion while sidestepping sentimental choices. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/kenneth-lonergan-shatters-sundance-and-hearts-with-a-1798243436) ## Empire — Phil de Semlyen Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 January 2017. The film is a shattering yet graceful elegy of loss and grief, masterfully told and beautifully acted. It singles out Casey Affleck's revelatory, career-highlight performance for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/manchester-sea-review/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2016. Festival review. A meticulous, rich film with depth of story, time and place. It singles out Casey Affleck's magnificent, haunting career-best performance as a man living with unbearable grief, guided by Lonergan's rare storytelling and authentic characters. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/manchester-by-the-sea-sundance-review/5099239.article) ## The Telegraph Rating 4/5. 13 January 2017. The review highlights Casey Affleck's clenched and riveting performance in a film about unmentionable loss, noting strong support from Lucas Hedges. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2017/01/05/manchester-sea-review-casey-afflecks-heartbreaking-loss-gain/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Rating Critic’s Choice. 17 November 2016. The critic calls the film powerful and emotional, with searingly realistic performances that wallop the viewer with honesty and authenticity. Lonergan’s ear for intimate dialogue and blend of tragedy with humor is singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-manchester-sea-review-20161114-story.html) ## Sight and Sound — Nick Pinkerton 14 January 2017. The film is a masterful, darkly American account of grief without false optimism. It singles out Casey Affleck's icy, haunting performance as the mournful loner at its center, alongside strong ensemble work and authentic regional detail. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/downbeat-film-week-manchester-sea-bracing-portrait-grief) ## Slant Magazine — Christopher Gray 2 October 2016. Lonergan frustrates the therapeutic trajectory of the premise through avoidance tactics and slipstream flashbacks that illuminate family devastations. The film's heart rests in the testy uncle-nephew relationship, achieving a comprehensive emotional sweep with minimal exposition and insisting on the intractability of grief. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/manchester-by-the-sea/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 12 January 2017. The critic calls the film a minor-key masterpiece about the painful and irreparable wrongness of life, praising its superb acting and blend of weighty drama with comic scenes. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/12/manchester-by-the-sea-review-casey-affleck-kenneth-lonergan) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy 23 January 2016. Festival review. The film is a wrenching family tragedy dramatized with depth, rooted in its New England setting and led by Casey Affleck's impressive performance. The overextended second half could use trimming, but it remains a strong bet for release. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/manchester-by-sea-sundance-review-858707/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane 18 November 2016. The review highlights the raw emotional power of a key street conversation between characters. Lonergan is commended for refusing to smooth over irreparable wounds while finding a peace of compromise and exhaustion. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/28/manchester-by-the-sea-and-fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott 18 November 2016. The critic praises Casey Affleck's fiercely disciplined performance as a man numbed by unimaginable loss. Lonergan's film is singled out for its honest portrayal of ordinary grief intertwined with sudden horror. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/18/movies/manchester-by-the-sea-review-kenneth-lonergan-casey-affleck.html) ## Variety 24 January 2016. Festival review. The review lauds Casey Affleck’s bone-deep performance and the film’s richly textured drama about confronting past tragedy. Lonergan’s ear for conversation rhythms and sense of place are highlighted amid themes of grief and redemption. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/manchester-by-the-sea-review-sundance-casey-affleck-1201687256/) ## Vulture 24 January 2016. Festival review. The film is a devastating vision of grief interrupted by the awkward vitality of life, a family melodrama that immerses viewers in a world of pain revealed carefully through fragments and a flood, kept from becoming just another sad story by visual poetry and minor jolts of life. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2016/01/sundance-review-manchester-by-the-sea.html) ## /Film — Angie Han Rating 10/10. 18 November 2016. Casey Affleck gives a career-best performance as the devastating heart of this exquisitely wrought drama exploring grief. Lonergan presents a humane, truthful portrait of pain and the rituals surrounding loss, with hope hard to extinguish. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/542334/manchester-by-the-sea-review/) ## The Skinny — Jamie Dunn Rating 5/5. 3 January 2017. A shattering yet surprisingly humorous study of death, guilt and family, elevated by revelatory performances, especially Casey Affleck’s. Lonergan’s fine-grained direction and jet-black humour prevent it from becoming a manipulative tearjerker, focusing instead on the enduring scars of heartbreak. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/manchester-by-the-sea) ## Collider — Adam Chitwood Rating A. 16 November 2016. The critic calls it a deeply felt, honest film and an absolute triumph. Casey Affleck's layered, career-best performance is singled out as the anchor. [Read the review](https://collider.com/manchester-by-the-sea-review/) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 November 2016. Festival review. It is a masterpiece of pitch-perfect filmmaking and a hearty, rewarding drama that balances humor and darkness. Affleck's icy, career-best performance is praised for conveying the character's torment. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/11/film-review-manchester-by-the-sea/) ## Eye for Film — Anne-Katrin Titze Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2016. Festival review. Kenneth Lonergan's film is a masterful study of clumsiness in the face of grief, with stirring dialogue and great performances aided by an exceptionally real use of objects. Casey Affleck delivers a magnificent performance conveying the before-and-after of trauma. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/manchester-by-the-sea-2016-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze) ## Den of Geek — Mark Harrison Rating 4/5. 13 January 2017. The film is a raw and emotional character study of grief and responsibility, anchored by career-best work from Casey Affleck and a strong supporting turn from Lucas Hedges. Lonergan’s non-linear structure and surprising lightness of tone provide unexpected warmth amid the bleakness. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/manchester-by-the-sea-review-2/) ## NME — Nick Levine Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 11 January 2017. Manchester by the Sea offers a powerful, gritty exploration of bereavement through Casey Affleck’s haunting lead performance as a man consumed by grief and guilt. The film avoids easy redemption or catharsis, delivering a searingly sad drama that lingers, though Michelle Williams’s role is underused. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/manchester-by-the-sea-film-review-1936453) ## The Ringer — K. Austin Collins Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2016. Lonergan is a moral artist of great perception who makes no easy promises about resolution or change. The centerpiece broken-up flashback is singled out for its percussive editing and psychological insight. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2016/11/17/movies/manchester-by-the-sea-kenneth-lonergan-review-aa47b8d88abc) ## The Wrap — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 2016. The critic praises the film's psychologically astute storytelling of one man's grief and Casey Affleck's superlative lead performance. They single out Affleck's emotionally shut-down portrayal and the authentic, if sometimes lengthy, depiction of post-tragedy life and relationships. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/manchester-by-the-sea-review-casey-affleck/) ## Paste — Tim Grierson Rating 8.3. 18 November 2016. It is a commanding, absorbing work whose overall impact exceeds individual scenes, though Lonergan's approach is not always completely successful. Michelle Williams' piercing, emotionally rapturous performance is highlighted. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/manchester-by-the-sea/manchester-by-the-sea) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/manchester-by-the-sea.md