77
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoPorumboiu, who also produced and wrote, elicits remarkably deadpan performances from Teo Corban (as the show's host), Ion Sapdaru (the professor) and - especially - Mircea Andreescu, as the old man. Even the subtitles cracked me up.
- 91The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayPorumboiu starts off making a mordant slice of life, but he gradually entwines the personal and the historical, then ends on a poignant note. The story and situation are slight, but in the best possible way.
- 88Boston GlobeTy BurrBoston GlobeTy BurrFor all its pessimism, the movie prompts a viewer to search his or her own memories for actions rather than reactions, and to mull over the differences between the two. It's a dark little ride, but at the end the lights hesitantly flicker back on.
- 80Washington PostPhilip KennicottWashington PostPhilip KennicottA remarkable film from Romania.
- 80L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorThis brilliantly caustic movie -- easily the best in a burgeoning and fertile effort to come to grips with post-Soviet malaise in Central and Eastern Europe -- offers living proof that when it comes to politics, comedy is the sincerest form of dissidence.
- 70VarietyDeborah YoungVarietyDeborah YoungThe buoyant little comedy 12:08 East of Bucharest puts its finger on the problem in the best tradition of East European humor, savvy but concrete, gentle but sharp as a knife.
- 70The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottThough it is modest, almost anecdotal, in scale, 12:08 East of Bucharest is also characterized by a precise and sneaky formal wit.
- 70Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanA casually bleak and neatly structured ensemble comedy--at once deadpan and bemused.
- 67Entertainment WeeklyScott BrownEntertainment WeeklyScott Brown12:08 East of Bucharest is a shrewdly built comedy, but the characters are broad-verging-on-cheap unholy hick fools.