Enter a Rotten Tomatoes movie slug to inspect the stored movie, batches, snapshots, and reviews.
Movie ID: 785
RT slug: the_photograph_2020
RT URL: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_photograph_2020
Release year: 2020
Runtime: 106 mins
Wide release date: 2020-02-14
Limited release date: —
Festival premiere date: —
Streaming release date: —
Tomatometer final: 74%
Audience score final: —
Genres: Drama, Romance
Directors: Stella Meghie
Writers: Stella Meghie
Producers: James Lopez, Will Packer
MPAA rating: PG-13
Executive Producers: —
Created: 2026-06-16 21:11:04
Updated: 2026-06-16 21:11:04
A famous photographer's estranged daughter falls for a journalist investigating her mother's life, uncovering love stories across two generations.
—
Canonical reviews: 115
Canonical fresh: 85
Canonical rotten: 30
Canonical calculated Tomatometer: 74%
Latest snapshot UTC: 2026-06-16 15:29:55
Snapshot Tomatometer: 74%
Snapshot review count: 115
Snapshot fresh count: 85
Snapshot rotten count: 30
Source note: Imported from manual review paste batch #1367 (full_snapshot)
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| Universal Pictures | distributor |
| Will Packer Productions | production |
| Billing | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Issa Rae | Mae Morton |
| 2 | LaKeith Stanfield | Michael Block |
| 3 | Chante Adams | Christina Eames |
| 4 | Y'lan Noel | Young Isaac |
| 5 | Lil Rel Howery | Kyle |
| Batch ID | Status | Mode | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 801 | processed | — | 2026-06-16 21:11:04 | Processed successfully into movie_id=785 using update_mode=merge_non_empty. |
| Batch ID | Local Snapshot | UTC Snapshot | Entered % | Entered Count | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1367 | 2026-06-16 10:29:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-06-16 15:29:55 | 74% | 115 | processed | Mode=full_snapshot. Processed 115 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=115, fresh=85, rotten=30, tomatometer=74%. Net new reviews added=115, fresh=85, rotten=30. Current canonical totals=115 reviews, 85 fresh, 30 rotten, tomatometer=74% (73.913%). Entered review count matched parsed batch count (115). Entered tomatometer matched parsed batch value (74%). |
| ID | Critic | Outlet | Fresh? | Score | RT Time Raw | Approx Published UTC | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 177268 | Marya E. Gates | Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack) | Fresh | — | 2025-02-14T16:51:37Z | 2025-02-14 16:51:37 | Rae is a bit stiff in the role, unable to really imbue Mae with the kind of interiority this sort of role calls for (and can’t seem to craft much chemistry with Stanfield), but Adams and Noel in the past sequences light the screen on fire |
| 177269 | Justin Brown | Medium Popcorn | Rotten | 2/5 | 2025-02-05T15:55:14Z | 2025-02-05 15:55:14 | This was a nice film but the stakes were very low, which makes it a challenge to get through. |
| 177270 | Brandon Collins | Medium Popcorn | Rotten | 2/5 | 2025-02-05T15:54:27Z | 2025-02-05 15:54:27 | It's a sweet, yet forgetful film that never reaches the potential of its incredibly talented cast. |
| 177271 | Greg Carlson | Vague Visages | Fresh | — | 2023-09-23T00:20:14Z | 2023-09-23 00:20:14 | The appealing leads spark with genuine onscreen chemistry, and Meghie capitalizes on a terrific supporting cast to vividly render past and present in complementary balance. |
| 177272 | M.N. Miller | Ready Steady Cut | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2022-08-24T19:52:41Z | 2022-08-24 19:52:41 | The Photograph is a gorgeous looking film about how life doesn’t always go as planned, love will endure even when relationships drift apart, and learning from a shared history doesn’t mean anything is set in stone. |
| 177273 | Keith Garlington | Keith & the Movies | Fresh | 4/5 | 2022-08-24T19:45:04Z | 2022-08-24 19:45:04 | There’s a throwback romantic quality in Meghie’s use of the gaze that calls back to Bogart and Bacall, Tracy and Hepburn, MacMurray and Stanwyck. |
| 177274 | Lonita Cook | KCTV5 News at 9 | Fresh | — | 2021-09-15T22:50:41Z | 2021-09-15 22:50:41 | This movie, I think, is going to be appreciated by couples and... particularly black couples. |
| 177275 | Amon Warmann | NME (New Musical Express) | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-06-09T23:40:18Z | 2021-06-09 23:40:18 | Stanfield's able to communicate intense attraction with a single glance. It's a weapon that's effectively utilised throughout the film. |
| 177276 | Kathia Woods | Cup of Soul | Fresh | 6/10 | 2021-02-19T23:10:36Z | 2021-02-19 23:10:36 | Black Love is a subject that hasn't always been examined positively on the screen. We have had standouts like "Love and Basketball" and "Love Jones," but there was still a long winding road to happiness. |
| 177277 | Jade Budowski | Decider | Fresh | — | 2020-12-07T14:50:31Z | 2020-12-07 14:50:31 | Isn't afraid to let the simmering chemistry between its performers do all the talking, and the film is better for it. |
| 177278 | Sergio F. Pinilla | Cinemanía (Spain) | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-07-23T17:53:14Z | 2020-07-23 17:53:14 | Insecure Issa Rae [is] romantic and wonderful in NYC. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 177279 | Carla Hay | Culture Mix | Fresh | — | 2020-07-14T02:26:56Z | 2020-07-14 02:26:56 | The Photograph is a rare treasure of a romantic drama that doesn't pander to negative stereotypes of African Americans. It's got some pacing issues ... [but the movie] celebrates love that is reaffirming and uplifting. |
| 177280 | Murjani Rawls | Substream Magazine | Fresh | — | 2020-07-09T13:00:29Z | 2020-07-09 13:00:29 | The Photograph shows that even though the universe might pull you in different directions, the heart will eventually win if you allow it. |
| 177281 | Dan Buffa | KSDK News (St. Louis) | Rotten | C+ | 2020-07-05T12:50:10Z | 2020-07-05 12:50:10 | The Photograph makes enough of an impression on you due to its invested acting-but it may lose some of your emotional attachment due to its troublesome screenplay. |
| 177282 | James Clay | Fresh Fiction | Fresh | B | 2020-05-28T01:20:39Z | 2020-05-28 01:20:39 | THE PHOTOGRAPH's dulcet images may prove to be too muted for some, but for those searching for a raw sensitivity and unapologetic sexuality will be heavily rewarded. |
| 177283 | Rich Cline | Shadows on the Wall | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-05-14T16:10:13Z | 2020-05-14 16:10:13 | Writer-director Stella Meghie knots up the plot and inserts so many distracting side characters that it's not easy to connect with. |
| 177284 | Allison Rose | FlickDirect | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2020-05-11T14:20:11Z | 2020-05-11 14:20:11 | The Photograph is a study of opposites in so much as the movie itself moves at a slow pace while Michael and Mae's relationship goes from zero to sixty in about ten seconds. |
| 177285 | Ruben Peralta Rigaud | Cocalecas | Fresh | — | 2020-05-05T17:00:15Z | 2020-05-05 17:00:15 | An ode to love in its purest form. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 177286 | MontiLee Stormer | MovieReelist.com | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-03-12T19:40:18Z | 2020-03-12 19:40:18 | The Photograph makes you want to stick around to see what happens next. This is the nature of romantic dramas - they're the fantasy versions of meat-life relationships. |
| 177287 | Roe McDermott | Hot Press | Rotten | — | 2020-03-12T18:00:13Z | 2020-03-12 18:00:13 | It's a level of insight and emotion the film should have brought to all of its characters. But The Photograph remains (sorry) underdeveloped. |
| 177288 | Matthew Bond | The Mail on Sunday (UK) | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-03-10T23:10:27Z | 2020-03-10 23:10:27 | Finding out is contrived and over-indulged but good-looking, easy to watch and helped by a cool jazz soundtrack. |
| 177289 | Aine O'Connor | Sunday Independent (Ireland) | Rotten | 3/5 | 2020-03-10T22:50:32Z | 2020-03-10 22:50:32 | It's not bad but unfortunately neither is it very involving. |
| 177290 | Ed Potton | The Times (UK) | Rotten | 2/5 | 2020-03-10T19:00:22Z | 2020-03-10 19:00:22 | It's a beguiling combination at first, but the surrounding story is too clunky, the revelations too telegraphed. |
| 177291 | Brian Viner | Daily Mail (UK) | Rotten | 3/5 | 2020-03-10T16:50:13Z | 2020-03-10 16:50:13 | Director and writer Stella Meghie teases out the flirtation, almost to the point of exasperation, and laces it with flashbacks. |
| 177292 | Charlotte O'Sullivan | London Evening Standard | Rotten | 3/5 | 2020-03-09T23:50:18Z | 2020-03-09 23:50:18 | Simply put, Michael and Mae don't get enough time to just be, though a sequel could fix that. |
| 177293 | Jill Chuah Masters | The Arts Desk | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-03-09T18:50:20Z | 2020-03-09 18:50:20 | At times the story is as sexy and self-possessed as its charismatic leads. |
| 177294 | Wendy Ide | Observer (UK) | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-03-09T03:30:12Z | 2020-03-09 03:30:12 | Luxuriantly sensual and unashamedly romantic, The Photograph is a cat's cradle of connecting love stories, spun across states, decades and continents. |
| 177295 | Donald Clarke | Irish Times | Rotten | 2/5 | 2020-03-07T20:40:10Z | 2020-03-07 20:40:10 | It's hard to imagine even the most susceptible audiences caring whether this bland couple get it together. |
| 177296 | Fiona Underhill | JumpCut Online | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2020-03-05T22:40:25Z | 2020-03-05 22:40:25 | The writing is a little cliched and predictable at times, but all-in-all, this is a winning romance. The acting (from Stanfield in particular) elevates the film, as does the costume design and cinematography. |
| 177297 | MaryAnn Johanson | Flick Filosopher | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-03-05T21:00:26Z | 2020-03-05 21:00:26 | It's meet-melancholy in an elegant, female-gazey romantic drama audaciously mingling past and present. A swanky celebration of confident, complex women and the bittersweetness of adult relationships. |
| 177298 | Adam White | Independent (UK) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-03-04T20:00:11Z | 2020-03-04 20:00:11 | What luck, then, that Stella Meghie's film returns to its stronger elements so often. |
| 177299 | Danny Leigh | Financial Times | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-03-04T19:20:14Z | 2020-03-04 19:20:14 | Revel... in the subtle back-and-forth of becoming smitten, the glances, touches, silences. Think of it as a dance movie, a good one. |
| 177300 | Katherine McLaughlin | The List | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-03-03T12:00:08Z | 2020-03-03 12:00:08 | The difficult decisions that people make when it comes to love, family and careers are languidly pondered over, pinning together the two timelines, as they play out to reveal secrets and heartache. |
| 177301 | Mae Abdulbaki | The Young Folks | Rotten | — | 2020-02-27T18:50:30Z | 2020-02-27 18:50:30 | The chemistry between Rae and Stanfield is ultimately lost amid the choices to embellish in aesthetic than to dive into the true heart of the story. |
| 177302 | Alexandra MacAaron | Women's Voices for Change | Fresh | 8/10 | 2020-02-25T18:30:22Z | 2020-02-25 18:30:22 | I was afraid I was in for a sappy romance. The Photograph, written and directed by Stella Meghie, turned out to be decidedly romantic and not at all sappy. It's beautiful to watch (and not just because of its unusually handsome stars). |
| 177303 | Richard Roeper | Chicago Sun-Times | Fresh | 3/4 | 2020-02-25T00:20:35Z | 2020-02-25 00:20:35 | Lakeith Stanfield and Issa Rae do wonderful work as people with an instant connection. |
| 177304 | Matt Brunson | Film Frenzy | Rotten | 2/4 | 2020-02-22T21:00:11Z | 2020-02-22 21:00:11 | Chances are audiences will fall in love with the stars' relaxed and natural chemistry. It's just a shame their romance is trapped in a movie as staid as this one. |
| 177305 | Lapacazo Magrira Sandoval | New York Amsterdam News | Fresh | — | 2020-02-21T01:00:19Z | 2020-02-21 01:00:19 | Director/screenwriter Stella Meghie is a skilled storyteller who has delivered a modern love story that works. |
| 177306 | Marc Savlov | Austin Chronicle | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-02-20T18:00:14Z | 2020-02-20 18:00:14 | You don't need to bring a handkerchief into the theatre for fear of ocular leakage, but The Photograph's modestly hopeful denouement is, truly, picture perfect. |
| 177307 | Chris McCoy | Memphis Flyer | Fresh | — | 2020-02-20T17:40:11Z | 2020-02-20 17:40:11 | The question becomes, will Mae and Michael make the same mistake of sacrificing happiness for success? One thing's for sure: They're going to look good doing it. |
| 177308 | Adriana Gomez-Weston | The Cinema Soloist | Fresh | 6/10 | 2020-02-20T05:40:07Z | 2020-02-20 05:40:07 | Sweet and sophisticated, The Photograph plays out like many romantic dramas do. The plot of the film is easy to follow, and predictable at times, but it's an enjoyable watch. |
| 177309 | Shawn Edwards | Fox 4 Kansas City | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-02-20T00:40:14Z | 2020-02-20 00:40:14 | Hooray for an intelligent love story. |
| 177310 | Martin Thomas | Double Toasted | Rotten | — | 2020-02-20T00:30:13Z | 2020-02-20 00:30:13 | Way too uneven, and it doesn't have a lot of momentum. Even their relationship, I guess I was rooting for them just because they had the most screen time and they're attractive...there were no real emotional stakes here, just plain... |
| 177311 | Korey Coleman | Double Toasted | Fresh | — | 2020-02-20T00:30:12Z | 2020-02-20 00:30:12 | There's a lot more realness here than most of these rom-coms we get... |
| 177312 | Jackie K. Cooper | jackiekcooper.com | Fresh | 7/10 | 2020-02-19T22:20:22Z | 2020-02-19 22:20:22 | This movie is so beautifully romantic it makes every day Valentine's Day. Shoutout to Lil Rel Howery for stealing every scene he is in. |
| 177313 | Margot Harrison | Seven Days (VT) | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2020-02-19T20:10:19Z | 2020-02-19 20:10:19 | A movie that embraces the old model of romance while giving it a modern arty sheen. |
| 177314 | D. Watkins | Salon.com | Fresh | — | 2020-02-19T18:50:10Z | 2020-02-19 18:50:10 | The American black experience has been the definition of pain; however, we do experience joy, fun, and love like every other race. We also experience success, and that is silently the most powerful element of The Photograph. |
| 177315 | Lynnette Nicholas | Common Sense Media | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-02-18T20:10:15Z | 2020-02-18 20:10:15 | Genuine romantic drama positively showcases Black love. |
| 177316 | Bry'onna Mention | Bust Magazine | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-02-18T18:10:14Z | 2020-02-18 18:10:14 | The Photograph exceeds expectations by simply just being a regular, degular love story. |
| 177317 | Lauren Coates | Culturess | Rotten | — | 2020-02-18T16:40:09Z | 2020-02-18 16:40:09 | Despite the fact that on paper the two running storylines should give audiences more than enough to stay interested, The Photograph never takes off or feels particularly urgent. |
| 177318 | Lauren Veneziani | WBAL-TV (Baltimore) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-02-18T14:50:04Z | 2020-02-18 14:50:04 | LaKeith Stanfield and Issa Rae's chemistry is total fire in this romance directed by Stella Meghie. |
| 177319 | Lana Stanczak | Film Inquiry | Rotten | — | 2020-02-18T06:00:04Z | 2020-02-18 06:00:04 | Ultimately, the film falls flat. The actors involved and Meghie herself are all capable of much more than the movie gives them to do. |
| 177320 | Rachel Wagner | rachelsreviews.net | Fresh | 8/10 | 2020-02-17T20:20:07Z | 2020-02-17 20:20:07 | If you are into romances The Photograph is a well executed film I definitely recommend. |
| 177321 | Nate Adams | The Only Critic | Rotten | C | 2020-02-17T19:00:07Z | 2020-02-17 19:00:07 | Aside from Robert Glasper's solid jazz infused score, "The Photograph" leaves a minimal impression, and will likely fade in the distance as time marches on. |
| 177322 | Sharronda Williams | Pay or Wait | Fresh | — | 2020-02-17T15:10:10Z | 2020-02-17 15:10:10 | While The Photograph's leads may not sell its audience on the romance, the exploration into generational love is truly the heart of the film. |
| 177323 | Dana Barbuto | The Patriot Ledger | Fresh | B- | 2020-02-17T00:20:06Z | 2020-02-17 00:20:06 | "The Photograph" is a Stanfield state of mind. |
| 177324 | Asher Luberto | The Playlist | Rotten | C | 2020-02-16T20:10:09Z | 2020-02-16 20:10:09 | No amount of champagne, pretty faces and New York real estate porn can turn dull lovers and a dramatic lack of focus into a pretty picture. |
| 177325 | Robin Clifford | Reeling Reviews | Fresh | B | 2020-02-16T18:10:08Z | 2020-02-16 18:10:08 | The feel good, happily ever after tale benefits from its supporting cast, especially Lil Rei Howery, as Mike's brother Kyle, and his wife Asia (Teyonah Parris) |
| 177326 | Jonita Davis | The Black Cape | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-02-16T05:30:06Z | 2020-02-16 05:30:06 | 'The Photograph' is unapologetic, unproblematic, and imperfect in all the ways that Black folk were often not allowed to be. |
| 177327 | Jim Judy | Screen It! | Fresh | — | 2020-02-15T03:40:20Z | 2020-02-15 03:40:20 | it is nice to see a regular romantic drama showcasing African-American characters as there really aren't that many nowadays and the romance feels authentic. (Full Content Review for Parents - Profanity, Sexual Content, etc. - also Available) |
| 177328 | Alonso Duralde | Breakfast All Day | Fresh | 8.7/10 | 2020-02-15T01:50:24Z | 2020-02-15 01:50:24 | [Rae and Stanfield] have amazing chemistry. |
| 177329 | Christy Lemire | Breakfast All Day | Fresh | 8.8/10 | 2020-02-15T01:40:22Z | 2020-02-15 01:40:22 | It is so good. It is so lovely, and beautifully acted, [and] gorgeously shot. |
| 177330 | Peter Rainer | FilmWeek (LAist) | Rotten | — | 2020-02-15T00:10:23Z | 2020-02-15 00:10:23 | It's a little too soft and soupy. |
| 177331 | Jeff Mitchell | Phoenix Film Festival | Rotten | 2/4 | 2020-02-14T23:00:27Z | 2020-02-14 23:00:27 | Do Mae and Michael stay together or split up? Eh, either way is fine. |
| 177332 | Dwight Brown | National Newspaper Publishers Association | Fresh | — | 2020-02-14T23:00:26Z | 2020-02-14 23:00:26 | Superbly crafted and acted. Romantic on every level. Never overly dramatic, but always captivating. A refreshing and evocative love story that reflects the times we live in. |
| 177334 | Chris Knight | National Post | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-02-14T22:30:25Z | 2020-02-14 22:30:25 | I'm going to come down on the positive side of The Photograph (rather than the negative!) on the strength of its cast, and because it's the best Valentine's picture to open in wide release on the day in question. |
| 177333 | Janaya Greene | Chicago Reader | Fresh | 3/4 | 2020-02-14T22:30:25Z | 2020-02-14 22:30:25 | Love, romantic or otherwise, is complicated. The Photograph reminds us that familial love is the root of how we love others. |
| 177335 | Cassie da Costa | The Daily Beast | Rotten | — | 2020-02-14T22:10:28Z | 2020-02-14 22:10:28 | ...still, the movie fails to deliver on the best parts of even the sappiest romantic drama (or comedy): the real consequences of loss. |
| 177336 | Peter Travers | Rolling Stone | Fresh | 2.5/5 | 2020-02-14T20:40:31Z | 2020-02-14 20:40:31 | For a Valentine's trip to the movies, you couldn't wish for a hotter and more talented pair of lovers than Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield. Too bad the movie snuffs out their spark with cliches and over-complicated flashbacks. |
| 177337 | Angelica Jade Bastién | New York Magazine/Vulture | Fresh | — | 2020-02-14T20:40:30Z | 2020-02-14 20:40:30 | The Photograph is a sincerely beguiling film, even for its faults. |
| 177338 | Oliver Jones | Observer | Fresh | 3/4 | 2020-02-14T20:30:27Z | 2020-02-14 20:30:27 | All of it combines into not only a profoundly romantic experience, but also an exploration of a number of different kinds of love and connection. |
| 177339 | Todd Jorgenson | Cinemalogue | Fresh | — | 2020-02-14T20:20:26Z | 2020-02-14 20:20:26 | Effectively understated performances drive this richly textured romantic melodrama. |
| 177340 | Stephanie Zacharek | TIME Magazine | Fresh | — | 2020-02-14T19:30:29Z | 2020-02-14 19:30:29 | A lovely ghost of a movie, the kind of thing we used to call, in the days before the ascent of the superhero film, a popular entertainment. |
| 177342 | Micheal Compton | Bowling Green Daily News | Rotten | C | 2020-02-14T19:00:27Z | 2020-02-14 19:00:27 | Writer/director Stella Meghie has crafted a gorgeous looking film with two strong leads and a hypnotic score, but it all gets undermined by a story that relies way too much on contrived plot devices and romantic cliches. |
| 177341 | Roxana Hadadi | Pajiba | Rotten | — | 2020-02-14T19:00:27Z | 2020-02-14 19:00:27 | While I appreciate the gorgeous production design of The Photograph, because we don't know anything about these people, their wonderfully moneyed lives are more puzzling than comforting. |
| 177343 | Abby Olcese | Crooked Marquee | Rotten | D+ | 2020-02-14T18:40:26Z | 2020-02-14 18:40:26 | The Photograph is a film without a focal point. There are several seeds of good ideas throughout, but they need room to grow. Jammed together in such a relatively brief span, the stories and characters can't connect the way they need to. |
| 177344 | Leslie Combemale | AWFJ.org | Fresh | 5/5 | 2020-02-14T18:10:21Z | 2020-02-14 18:10:21 | From its first moments, it's like the movie, with its underlying romantic jazz score and winning co-leads, is calling the viewers into an intimate slow dance. |
| 177345 | Monica Castillo | RogerEbert.com | Fresh | 3/4 | 2020-02-14T17:40:16Z | 2020-02-14 17:40:16 | The Photograph is an enjoyable enough love story, and sweet enough to indulge in during a holiday dedicated to candy hearts. |
| 177346 | Julian Lytle | idobi.com | Fresh | 8/10 | 2020-02-14T17:00:15Z | 2020-02-14 17:00:15 | The Photograph is definitely a perfect date movie and something that has staying power with a story about love and regret and taking a chance. |
| 177347 | Rendy Jones | Rendy Reviews | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2020-02-14T16:50:13Z | 2020-02-14 16:50:13 | A beautiful Black romance where the relationship never falls into the trappings of Hollywood's lenses. Seriously Hollywood, can we get more Black romances like this? |
| 177348 | Soraya Nadia McDonald | Andscape | Rotten | — | 2020-02-14T16:30:13Z | 2020-02-14 16:30:13 | A dithering, unshakable ambivalence dooms The Photograph, which might be the most distilled example of the deficiencies in Meghie's work as a writer/director. |
| 177349 | Mark Kennedy | Associated Press | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2020-02-14T16:30:11Z | 2020-02-14 16:30:11 | Meghie's script is very human, respectful of hesitancy and thoughtful without being flashy. |
| 177350 | Aramide Tinubu | Shadow and Act | Fresh | — | 2020-02-14T16:10:10Z | 2020-02-14 16:10:10 | Stella Meghie's The Photograph adds to the canon of Black Love on screen and shows that Black sensuality, romance and love stories can be beautifully illustrated without the backdrops of financial hardships or jilting trauma. |
| 177351 | Sherin Nicole | idobi.com | Fresh | — | 2020-02-14T15:10:09Z | 2020-02-14 15:10:09 | Visually lush, steeped in moody earth & jewel tones; subtly acted with a veracity that feels alive; well crafted like a smooth fizzy cocktail that leaves you buzzed--The Photograph is all these things. |
| 177352 | Derek Smith | Slant Magazine | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2020-02-14T14:50:08Z | 2020-02-14 14:50:08 | The film is at its best when it's focused on the euphoria and tribulations of its central couple. |
| 177353 | Nell Minow | Movie Mom | Fresh | B+ | 2020-02-14T11:20:06Z | 2020-02-14 11:20:06 | A luscious valentine of a movie, the kind of romantic drama audiences keep complaining they don't make any more. |
| 177354 | Jeffrey Lyles | Lyles' Movie Files | Fresh | 8/10 | 2020-02-14T05:10:15Z | 2020-02-14 05:10:15 | The Love Jones comparisons aren't necessarily off as The Photograph probably deserves to be similarly appreciated without the cult classic label this time. |
| 177355 | Douglas Davidson | Elements of Madness | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-02-14T04:20:16Z | 2020-02-14 04:20:16 | ... Meghie's tale which examines not just love, but the words not spoken and a life-lived privately in public, and is performed by outstanding performers who make you feel their truths as much as believe them. |
| 177356 | Scott Tobias | NPR | Rotten | — | 2020-02-14T00:00:26Z | 2020-02-14 00:00:26 | Most of it is curiously flat and under-seasoned, despite two stars in Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield who have an abundance of chemistry together. |
| 177357 | Laura Clifford | Reeling Reviews | Fresh | B | 2020-02-13T21:50:30Z | 2020-02-13 21:50:30 | ...quiet and pensive with an undertow of melancholic regret and a light topping of comic relief all set to Robert Glasper's elegant jazz score. Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield create a tentative romance, its unspoken emotions simmering into a full boil |
| 177358 | Manohla Dargis | New York Times | Fresh | — | 2020-02-13T21:50:29Z | 2020-02-13 21:50:29 | There's so little genuine, starry eyed you-had-me-at-hello romance in American movies today that when a new love story pops up, it's hard not to root for it. |
| 177359 | Justin Chang | Los Angeles Times | Fresh | — | 2020-02-13T21:40:47Z | 2020-02-13 21:40:47 | "The Photograph" is a movie of seductive, slow-savored pleasures. |
| 177360 | Don Shanahan | Every Movie Has a Lesson | Fresh | 5/5 | 2020-02-13T21:01:46Z | 2020-02-13 21:01:46 | We watch love, not just hear about it, and we cannot get enough of it. |
| 177361 | Johnny Oleksinski | New York Post | Rotten | 2/4 | 2020-02-13T20:50:43Z | 2020-02-13 20:50:43 | Watching "The Photograph" is like looking through a friend's old photo album - it's not as exciting as your friend thinks it is. |
| 177362 | Jamie Broadnax | Black Girl Nerds | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-02-13T20:50:39Z | 2020-02-13 20:50:39 | The Photograph' is a touching love story for a new generation of romantics. |
| 177363 | Christopher Lloyd | The Film Yap | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-02-13T20:00:36Z | 2020-02-13 20:00:36 | Two terrific young actors combine in this atypical romantic drama about a couple brought together by the past. |
| 177364 | Candice Frederick | TheWrap | Fresh | — | 2020-02-13T19:50:35Z | 2020-02-13 19:50:35 | Impressively explores the intricacies of old-school and modern romance in a love story that also highlights the binding ties between a distant mother and her daughter. |
| 177365 | Travis Hopson | Punch Drunk Critics | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-02-13T19:20:32Z | 2020-02-13 19:20:32 | The Photograph is a stunningly beautiful movie, with Rae and Stanfield always kept in tight, warm focus |
| 177366 | Mick LaSalle | San Francisco Chronicle | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2020-02-13T18:40:29Z | 2020-02-13 18:40:29 | The characters are still likable, even if you've stopped being all that crazy about "The Photograph." |
| 177367 | Adrian Horton | Guardian | Rotten | 2/5 | 2020-02-13T18:20:30Z | 2020-02-13 18:20:30 | The abundance of talent and some snappy banter add much needed pulse to a film which prioritizes looks over heart, but it can't save a script that's sketch-deep. |
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