--- title: "The Barbarian Invasions: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-barbarian-invasions/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-barbarian-invasions" critics_score: 58 critics_reviews: 13 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." --- # The Barbarian Invasions (2003): what the critics said Critics' score 58 from 13 reviews: 5 positive, 3 mixed, 5 negative. The reviews are sharply divided, with praise centred on the dialogue, the cast’s comic chemistry and the handling of family, friendship and mortality. Admirers find Arcand’s writing witty without sacrificing seriousness, and see the father-son relationship as a source of feeling rather than an excuse for sentimentality. Even some detractors acknowledge the film’s emotional control: IndieWire finds its social analysis facile and its dialogue theatrical, but credits the quieter treatment of mortality with saving it. The main disagreement is over whether the characters’ talk offers insight or merely congratulates them on their own sophistication. Reservations cluster around broad social criticism, shallow characterisation and awkward plotting, while the warmer reviews find tenderness and an argument for tolerance. The spread is wide, with little shared middle ground in the available assessments. The Guardian rejects the appeal for sympathy outright, finding the characters conceited and the sexual politics reactionary. ## Variety — Lisa Nesselson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 2003. Festival review. Nesselson finds the film funny, sharply written, and genuinely touching. She praises its polished repartee and its tender, irreverent handling of family, friendship, and mortality. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2003/film/awards/the-barbarian-invasions-3-1200541506/) ## Evening Standard — Nina Caplan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. Caplan considers the film more profound than its predecessor and ultimately an argument for tolerance. She praises Arcand’s exquisite, witty dialogue, which she says also handles serious issues. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-barbarian-invasions-7437866.html) ## Radio Times — Brian Pendreigh Rating 4/5. The review gives the film a positive assessment, comparing its premise to Big Fish. It singles out the dying professor’s reflections on his life and reconciliation with his son. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ggyly9/the-barbarian-invasions/) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 4/5. 20 February 2004. The review finds the film moving and cerebral, balancing its themes with emotional depth. It singles out the father-son relationship and the cast’s comic chemistry for praise. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-barbarian-invasions-review/) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 2003. Denby finds The Barbarian Invasions a tender, moving meditation on death, friendship, and what one generation passes to another. He especially praises Arcand’s exquisite tenderness in the final connection between Rémy and Nathalie. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/11/24/close-to-the-end) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 66/100 (inferred from the text). The page is identified as a review, but its content is blocked. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-barbarian-invasions-2003) ## Screen Daily — Agnes Poirier Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2003. The page is a review, but its paywall shell does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no accessible detail about what Poirier praises or criticizes. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-barbarian-invasions-les-invasions-barbares/4013314.article) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no specific praise or complaint from the review. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/les-invasions-barbares) ## IndieWire — Peter Brunette Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 12 July 2004. Brunette finds the film’s social analysis facile and its dialogue overly theatrical, though he says its emotional restraint ultimately saves it. He praises the quiet, moving scenes of farewell and a man accepting his mortality. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/a-farewell-with-facile-analysis-denys-arcands-the-barbarian-invasions-78798/) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 25 November 2003. Murray finds the film winning at times but muddled and overly broad in its social criticism. He praises Arcand’s sparkling dialogue and especially the film’s insight into how people decide what they owe the dying. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-barbarian-invasions-1798199117) ## Empire — Patrick Peters Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Peters finds the film disappointing despite its promising ideas. He singles out clumsy plotting and shallow characterization as weaknesses. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/barbarian-invasions-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 1/4. 14 October 2003. Gonzalez gives the film a harshly negative verdict, calling it self-congratulatory and insular. He particularly faults its crude reunion of the original cast and its weak political context for the characters’ offensive sex talk. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-barbarian-invasions/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2004. Bradshaw finds the film smug, cynical and unconvincing, rejecting its plea for sympathy. He especially condemns its reactionary sexual politics and the charmless, conceited behavior of its characters. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,4267,1151606,00.html) --- © 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/the-barbarian-invasions.md