--- title: "Tangerine: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/tangerine/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/tangerine" critics_score: 86 critics_reviews: 22 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." --- # Tangerine (2015): what the critics said Critics' score 86 from 22 reviews: 22 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are uniformly positive about Tangerine, with praise clustering around its central performances, saturated iPhone photography and compassionate humour. Most critics find that the leads’ quick, believable rapport gives the raucous screwball comedy emotional weight, making friendship matter as much as the misadventures through Los Angeles. The film’s energy and visual inventiveness draw repeated approval, as does its treatment of transgender sex workers without condescension or moralising. The differences are chiefly in the degree of enthusiasm, rather than any disagreement about those strengths. Slant Magazine admires the style and musicality but finds that unnecessary narrative threads slow things down, while IndieWire notes some overly neat plotting within an otherwise entertaining comedy. HeyUGuys also finds certain subversive elements contrived, though it values the resourceful filmmaking and authenticity; these reservations leave all three on the positive side of a strongly favourable consensus. ## Time Out — David Ehrlich Rating 5/5. 5 July 2015. The review calls it a bracingly brilliant reinvigorating reminder of what indie filmmaking can do, with raw energy and a moment of silent compassion at the end. It singles out the iPhone-shot saturated visuals and the nuanced central performances for praise. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/tangerine) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 November 2015. The critic highlights the electric filmmaking with Scorsese-like vim, great performances, riotous laughs and compassion toward marginalised characters. Overall verdict is 'Terrific stuff.' [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/tangerine-review/) ## IndieWire — Katie Walsh Rating A-. 8 July 2015. The review highlights the film's ramshackle, wildly entertaining romp through a single day in L.A. as two transgender prostitutes navigate misadventures in a screwball-like buddy comedy, noting its charming tone and universal relatability despite some neat plotting. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-sean-bakers-sundance-sensation-tangerine-262216/) ## Los Angeles Times Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2015. The review calls the film an enchanting, joyful girlfriend movie that peels back the curtain on a fascinating Los Angeles microculture of transgender prostitutes. It highlights the electric performances of the two leads and the witty script in a Thelma and Louise-style comedy. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-tangerine-review-20150710-story.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2015. Festival review. The critic praises the film's vibrant energy, flavorful dialogue, and warm, non-judgmental portrayal of marginalized transgender sex workers and other outcasts in L.A., calling it a vibrant and uplifting snapshot with strong performances and satisfying emotional resolution. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/tangerine-sundance-review-767066/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating NYT Critic’s Pick. 10 July 2015. The critic praises the film as a fast, raucously funny comedy about love and misadventures that functions primarily as a moving female-friendship story. It singles out the two transgender leads and their vibrant, motormouthed chemistry amid the margins of Los Angeles. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/10/movies/review-tangerine-a-madcap-buddy-picture-about-transgender-prostitutes.html) ## Variety — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2015. Festival review. The critic finds the film an exuberantly raw and compassionate portrait of life on the L.A. margins, with big-hearted humor and insight into its transgender protagonists' friendship. It singles out the innovative iPhone-shot visuals and the generous vision of humanity. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2015/film/news/sundance-film-review-tangerine-1201414093/) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 July 2015. The critic calls it a boisterous post-camp transgender comedy that delivers everything an old-fashioned mainstream Hollywood comedy should, with hilarious yet serious moments, strong physical and emotional performances from the leads, and inventive iPhone-shot style. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/06/movie-review-tangerine.html) ## Film Comment — Jonathan Romney Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2015. Tangerine is a pithy, hugely entertaining street comedy that crackles with immediacy and mixes farce with moving observations of its characters' struggles and friendships. Romney singles out the propulsive energy of Sin-Dee’s quest, the vivid iPhone-shot visuals, and the tender performances by the lead duo. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/film-of-the-week-tangerine-sean-baker/) ## Sight and Sound — Lisa Mullen Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 November 2015. The critic praises Baker's touching and occasionally hilarious neo-screwball as grippingly watchable with big-heartedness and strong performances from the leads. She singles out the quality of the acting and the emotional honesty that emerges from the broad farce and guerrilla style. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-tangerine) ## The Independent — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 November 2015. The critic calls the film a marvel for its extraordinary visual inventiveness, humour and pathos despite being shot on an iPhone 5. It follows two transgender prostitutes and an Armenian cab driver in a freewheeling style reminiscent of Cassavetes. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/tangerine-film-review-humour-and-pathos-shot-on-an-iphone-5-a6732636.html) ## Little White Lies — Katherine McLaughlin Rating 4/4/4. 12 November 2015. This is hailed as one of the year’s most purely enjoyable films, a euphoric revenge caper full of vibrant energy and hilarious moments grounded in friendship. The critic singles out the lived-in performances and low-budget ingenuity for particular praise. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/tangerine) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 July 2015. Festival review. The film is described as a bracing slice of American indie filmmaking that pulses with raunchy energy and compassionate humour, boosting Baker’s reputation. It singles out the surprisingly cinematic iPhone-shot look and the instantly winning mix of matter-of-factness, humour and compassion. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/tangerine-review/5090052.article) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2015. The film is a bittersweet affair with real tenderness and empathy amid LA's artificiality. The lead performances by Rodriguez and Taylor stand out as a terrific double act full of energy, comedy and melancholia. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/15/tangerine-review-sean-baker-la) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2015. The review emphasizes the film's triumph in style and musicality through iPhone cinematography, praising how it transcends issues of race, gender, and orientation by focusing on character and empathy, while noting some unnecessary narrative threads that slightly bog it down. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/tangerine-review-sean-baker/) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 9.6/10. 8 July 2015. The critic praises the film's rich empathy and naturalism, which make the lurid world of its transgender sex-worker protagonists feel universally relatable. Baker treats Los Angeles as a vivid, living character while delivering an outsized, compassionate screwball energy in a compact package. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/tangerine) ## Eye for Film — Owen Van Spall Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2015. Festival review. Calls the film a high-energy, outrageously funny adrenaline shot with naturalistic performances from the leads and a tender focus on female friendship and solidarity. Singles out the hyper-saturated iPhone cinematography and rapid-fire editing for creating an intimate, immediate feel. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/tangerine-2015-film-review-by-owen-van-spall) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating A-. 26 January 2015. Festival review. Hails it as fresh, funny, original and energetic, capturing gritty Hollywood streets through the perspectives of its vibrant transgender leads. Praises the quick rapport between the central friends and its thoughtful handling of their world, danger and solidarity. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/sundance-review-tangerine-is-a-fresh-funny-and-original-stream-of-pure-energy-20150126/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 July 2015. The film is an ebullient comedy about two transgender sex workers on a chaotic Christmas Eve quest through Hollywood. It singles out the believable friendship and true-to-life details of the characters' hand-to-mouth existence for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/tangerine-review-kitana-kiki-rodriguez-mya-taylor-james-ransone/) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 17 July 2015. The critic highlights the film's entertaining contradictions as slice-of-life drama meets screwball comedy, celebrating its refusal to moralize or condescend while showing strong, self-aware characters asserting dignity amid hustle and humiliation. It frames the absurdities of identity and relationships with a light, inviting touch. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2015/07/film-review-tangerine/) ## The Skinny — Jamie Dunn Rating ★★★★. 5 November 2015. Tangerine is a rambunctious single-night screwball comedy set on the West Hollywood strip that keeps pace with its firecracker heroines through shimmering LA light. Dunn praises the expressive iPhone-shot camera and how the film slips from high energy into a sweet humanist drama. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/tangerine) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 October 2015. Festival review. Praises the film's resourceful iPhone-shot innovation and its authentic portrayal of LA's transgender sex worker community, highlighting the energetic storytelling and focus on real underbelly life. Notes some contrived subversive elements but finds it a welcome change from mainstream cinema. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/tangerine-review/) --- © 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/tangerine.md