--- title: "The Farewell: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-farewell/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-farewell" critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 15 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 Farewell (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 82 from 15 reviews: 14 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics warmly recommend The Farewell, with praise centred on Lulu Wang’s controlled direction and her balance of family comedy with the sadness of impending loss. Awkwafina’s restrained performance draws particular attention, while Zhao Shuzhen’s grandmother gives the ensemble much of its warmth and emotional force. The reviews also value the cultural detail: the family’s deception prompts questions about love, duty and immigrant identity without reducing the differences to a simple contest between right and wrong. Reservations concern how much story and character development support the premise, rather than the performances. Screen Daily offers the clearest dissent, finding the film touching but slight, with too little narrative drive or depth; The AV Club also finds it scattered and occasionally maudlin. The spread is otherwise largely positive, though critics differ over whether the film’s strength lies chiefly in its cultural specificity or its wider resonance. ## Slant Magazine Rating 3.5/4. 12 July 2019. The film thoughtfully braids the somber and the absurd, tapping into universal truths about loss and how families prepare for it. Awkwafina gives a revelatory lead performance as the story mixes contemplative drama with comic moments. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-the-farewell-thoughtfully-braids-the-somber-and-the-absurd/) ## Little White Lies — Carol Grant Rating 4/4/4. 18 September 2019. The critic praises the film's precise, empathetic portrayal of a Chinese-American family staging a fake wedding to gather before the grandmother's death from cancer, highlighting Wang's confident direction and authentic performances, especially Zhao Shuzhen's. It values cultural specificity over universality and provokes questions about tradition and identity. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-farewell) ## Radio Times — Dave Aldridge Rating 4/5. Describes it as an upbeat, joyous, life-affirming drama leavened with laughs, despite the terminal illness premise, praising the entertaining blend of languages and life lessons. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ehb1c0/the-farewell/) ## Time Out — Tomris Laffly Rating 4/5. 16 September 2019. The review calls it bittersweet and witty, commending Awkwafina's thoughtful performance and Wang's handling of the 'good lie' theme, emphasizing small details of culture and family love that transcends borders. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-farewell) ## The AV Club — Beatrice Loayza Rating B. 8 July 2019. The film captures cultural tension with tenderness but feels scattered and veers into maudlin territory. Wang balances morbid material and humor, though character development and emotional catharsis are under-developed. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/awkwafina-wrestles-with-a-true-lie-in-the-scattered-sun-1836082193) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2019. Festival review. Calls it a touching albeit slight dramedy with emotional truths from the cast but criticizes insufficient narrative drive and depth, noting the strong conceit but that the story lags. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-farewell-sundance-review/5136187.article) ## Empire — Nick de Semlyen 16 September 2019. The review calls it one of 2019's most pleasant surprises, a warm and charming mix of comedy and melancholy based on real events, with sharp ensemble portraits and a standout subdued turn from Awkwafina. Minor quibbles are noted about symbolic elements and the ending, but overall it is embraced as a big, lovely hug of a film. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-farewell/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan 17 September 2019. The film is praised as hilarious, sad and uplifting, with Wang's direction singled out for its original visual touches and nuanced character work. Awkwafina and the ensemble, especially Hong Lu, are highlighted for bringing emotional depth and authenticity to the story of family deception and love. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-farewell-review-hilarious-affecting-and-destined-for-awards-success-a4239346.html) ## Film Comment — Soraya Nadia McDonald The critic praises Wang for subverting expectations around family secrets and the inevitability of revelation in a story based on a real lie. Zhao Shuzhen's performance as the grandmother is highlighted for its warmth and quiet devastation. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/the-big-screen-the-farewell/) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn 26 January 2019. Festival review. Awkwafina gives her best performance in a bittersweet dramedy about generational conflicts in a Chinese-American family. Lulu Wang directs a look at a young woman navigating her family's deceptions and cultural differences. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-farewell-review-awkwafina-sundance-1202038325/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang 9 July 2019. The critic calls it a stealthy, melancholy charmer that addresses cultural stoicism and emotional concealment with exquisite poise and wry humor. It singles out the graceful observational realism and the irreplaceable matriarch figure for praise. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-farewell-review-awkwafina-20190709-story.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 21 September 2019. The critic praises this semi-autobiographical family drama for its light touch in exploring cultural clashes between American directness and Chinese emotional restraint, calling it a delightful and satisfying film. Wang is singled out for her deft writing, wry insight and ability to balance humour with pathos in scenes like the heart-to-heart conversation against wedding photos. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/21/the-farewell-review-lulu-wang-awkwafina) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 25 January 2019. Festival review. The critic calls it a warmly satisfying family affair with an assured grasp of tone and a persuasive understanding of immigrant experience. Awkwafina's layered performance is highlighted as a quiet revelation. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/farewell-review-sundance-2019-1179427/) ## The Independent 14 January 2020. Wang's semi-autobiographical comedy-drama is hailed as one of the year's best for its warm, honest take on immigrant family dynamics and the cultural practice of shielding a loved one from a terminal diagnosis. Awkwafina delivers a startlingly emotional performance as the conflicted granddaughter. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/farewell-movie-review-lulu-wang-awkwafina-tzi-ma-cast-release-date-a9110596.html) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane 12 July 2019. The critic notes the film's two-tone tale of mourning and revelry at a family gathering under false pretenses, commending its compact, coolly heartwarming quality and avoidance of cuteness while immersing viewers in cultural nuances of deception and love. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/07/22/the-farewell-mixes-mourning-and-revelry) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott 11 July 2019. The critic praises the film's rich premise drawn from real life, with a loose structure and tone that balances candor and tact in depicting family deception around a grandmother's illness. It highlights the authentic feel of events that genuinely happened and the emotional conflict experienced by the protagonist. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/movies/the-farewell-review.html) ## Total Film 20 September 2019. Wang's low-key, semi-autobiographical comedy-drama is celebrated for resisting Hollywood melodrama in favour of observational laughs and earned sentiment, with strong praise for Awkwafina and Zhao Shuzhen. The story of a family staging a fake wedding to hide a grandmother's illness is presented as remarkable and heartfelt. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-farewell-review-awkwafina-shines-in-deft-comedy-drama/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge 25 January 2019. Festival review. The critic describes it as a bittersweet comedy about family deception over a terminal diagnosis, effective in inviting reflection on loss through its specific cultural lens and understated tragicomic tone. It praises the script's weighing of ethics without overt sentimentality. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/the-farewell-review-awkwafina-1203117966/) ## Vulture — Emily Yoshida 11 July 2019. Festival review. Wang transcends the premise with confidence and subtlety in her second feature. The film is frequently funny on top of heavy themes, delivering an incredibly satisfying meal of a story about family and truth. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2019/07/the-farewell-awkwafina-sundance-movie-review.html) ## Polygon — Karen Han Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 12 July 2019. The critic calls it one of the best films of the year, praising its dense handling of the central lie in the immigrant experience, nuanced performances, and refusal to exoticize or simplify cultural clashes. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/12/20690302/the-farewell-review-awkwafina-lulu-wang-a24/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2019. The critic declares it one of the year’s best pictures for its nuanced handling of a family’s elaborate lie and universal emotional truths. Awkwafina’s lower-key dramatic turn and the uniformly superb ensemble, especially Shuzhen Zhao as Nai Nai, are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/video/the-farewell-review-awkwafina-lulu-wang/) ## Den of Geek — Mark Harrison Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 2019. The review calls the film one of the year's best for its sensitive balance of farce and pathos and cultural specificity. Awkwafina's revelatory performance and Zhao Shuzhen's lovable grandmother are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-farewell-review-a-truly-original-family-drama/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 9/10. 11 July 2019. Awkwafina gives a breakout dramatic performance as Billi, a Chinese-American woman grappling with her family's decision to hide her grandmother's terminal illness behind a fake wedding. The film is praised for its emotional honesty, strong ensemble cast, and blend of melancholy and warmth. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/563835/the-farewell-review/) ## The Ringer — Manuela Lazic Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 July 2019. The critic highlights how the film explores immigrant identity and family contradictions with tact, humor, and economy, focusing on the cultural clash around hiding illness and the warmth of family interactions. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2019/07/11/movies/the-farewell-awkwafina-lulu-wang-review) ## The Playlist — Jordan Ruimy Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2019. Festival review. Lulu Wang's film offers a resonant, culturally specific yet universally relatable story of family, love, and loss, anchored by Awkwafina's strong turn and a talented supporting cast including Zhao Shuzhen and Tzi Ma. It stands out for its understated humor, emotional depth, and thoughtful exploration of cultural differences around death and truth-telling. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/farewell-awkwafina-sundance-review-20190126/) ## The Wrap — Carlos Aguilar Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2019. The critic calls the film a bittersweet triumph that gives Awkwafina a career-defining dramatic role as a young woman grappling with family secrets and cultural divides. Zhao Shuzhen’s vivacious performance as the grandmother stands out for its warmth and emotional pull. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-farewell-film-review-awkwafina-lulu-wang/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B+. 12 July 2019. The critic praises the film as a smart, sweet, heartwarming story that highlights cultural differences in family bonds through excellent performances by Awkwafina and Zhao Shuzhen. It values the East/West divide without declaring one superior. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-farewell-review-awkwafina/) ## The Skinny — Thomas Atkinson Rating 4/5. 16 September 2019. Wang's personal family drama is commended for its controlled direction and intricate character work amid cultural tensions. The ensemble, especially the grandmother figure, is praised for adding depth to the tragicomic tone. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-farewell) --- © 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-farewell.md