Cast of The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Sergeant Pike
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete Reviews
Los Angeles Times Betsy Sharkey
"The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete" is a moving bit of mischief and mayhem that will break your heart, give you hope, make you laugh, possibly cry. New York Post Sara Stewart
A gritty, sometimes downright heartwrenching story of two young boys left to fend for themselves for weeks during a boiling-hot summer in a Brooklyn housing project. AV Club Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
It sticks to a familiar horrors-of-childhood formula-a continual cycle of hope and betrayal-and tends to wrap up subplots with convenient twists. RogerEbert.com Peter Sobczynski
Proves to be as awkward as its title thanks to its uneven screenplay and tone, and questionable casting in supporting parts. Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
They may be tiny little kids, but they deliver outsize performances. New York Times Manohla Dargis
Pitched fascinatingly, at times uneasily, between misery and uplift, "Mister & Pete" tells the story of an endlessly resourceful child who survives the unimaginable over one long summer. A drama made palatable by Alicia Keys' energetic score but otherwise stymied when the premise fails to go anywhere. New York Daily News Joe Neumaier
What day-to-day struggles do kids in need face? George Tillman Jr.'s "The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete" addresses many of them within a self-contained but successful story. Reel Talk Online Candice Frederick
While the themes of the film certainly transcend geography and age, the inclusion of multicultural characters further help make the film universal. Movie Mezzanine Dan Schindel
At its best, the movie is emotionally rapturous, helped along by Brooks's incredible talent. At its worst, while it avoids falling into poverty porn (to my judgment, at least), it runs into a kind of hysteria of putting children in danger. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete simply tries too hard, and its emotional manipulation becomes far too obvious. Everyone involved here does so much good work that the film's blemishes are easy to overlook. TheMovieReport.com Michael Dequina
Mister and Pete are, as the title goes, inevitably served up defeat at practically every turn, but ultimately it is outweighed by the strength and resilience the pair come to consistently display in the oppressive face of it. Village Voice Stephanie Zacharek
Tillman seems to know that we need to go home feeling hope for Mister and Pete, who, it turns out, aren't so easily defeated. Cinemalogue Todd Jorgenson
The expressive performances of the two young protagonists helps to smooth over the rough spots in a script that too often turns sappy and heavy-handed. Antagony & Ecstasy Tim Brayton
[Sklyan] Brooks's performance as Mister... the best child performance of 2013. The Playlist Charlie Schmidlin
A wonderful document of inner-city oppression and two young actors' beginning steps, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete struggles to establish a cohesive center, and ultimately fumbles any tension on the path toward its title's possible fate. A picture which proves it's hard in the 'hood not only for pimps, but for kids, too. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Philip Martin
...might be compared to any number of movies... [but] I've ever seen anything quite like it. Though the script affords plenty of opportunities to default to sentimentality and sweet resolution, the characters seem to resist the easy and usual ways. Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) John Beifuss
Even more welcome than its unusual story content is its humanistic impulse: It comes from a place of respect for its characters and belief in their dignity; by extension, it offers these same courtesies to its audience.
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