The result is a movie about the many forms of social and sexual abuse that does not make the abusee a victim but victor.Read Full Review »
75
ReelViews: James Berardinelli
Ball may not have the answers but he eloquently and forcefully explores some of the potential ramifications. The ending may be too pat, but the journey to get there - bitter, spicy, and poignant - more than compensates for any last-minute fumbles.Read Full Review »
70
Washington Post: Neely Tucker
It's clever and original with an excellent cast. Ball's script catches a lot of the novel's pop, often word for word. I laughed a lot.Read Full Review »
67
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Owen Gleiberman
As it becomes clear that Ball, in essence, has just restaged American Beauty with a socially conscious paint job, the sensationalism of Towelhead looks more and more like a dramatic tic.Read Full Review »
63
ROLLING STONE: Peter Travers
The heart of the movie is really in Jasira's moments with her father, a mass of contradictions that Macdissi plays with comic ferocity and genuine feeling.Read Full Review »
This third-act redemption raises Towelhead several notches, but it still ends up feeling like a well-acted and well-intentioned after-school special, a long way from the vividness and texture of Ball's television work.Read Full Review »
50
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Gary Goldstein
On the upside, newcomer Summer Bishil turns in a gutsy, quietly riveting performance as Jasira.Read Full Review »
50
Slate: Dana Stevens
The 19-year-old actress Summer Bishil captures the terrifying combination of lubricity and innocence that is being 13. Her performance is the truest thing in a movie that, for all its good intentions, feels thoroughly phony and mildly embarrassing.Read Full Review »
50
USA Today: Claudia Puig
The potency of the acting is also undercut by leaden pacing and a sense of claustrophobia.Read Full Review »
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