51
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 63Slant MagazineDiego SemereneSlant MagazineDiego SemereneIt's Jonathan Caouette's insistence in going back to his nightmarish old footage, or the old footage that he purposefully renders nightmarish, that seems more interesting.
- 60Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfThe way forward, both in Caouette's real-life situation and his development as an artist, remains unclear, yet that frustration makes it to the screen, in spiky waves that signal a vital personal quest.
- 60Village VoiceVillage VoicePicking up where his 2003 "Tarnation" left off, Jonathan Caouette's new documentary is no less hermetic, autobiographical, messy, and ultimately touching.
- 50New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickThe extra money has bought a professional crew for scripted sequences, in which Jonathan and his mother too often mug for the camera.
- It's problematic, however, that we learn very little here that wasn't more stirringly conveyed in the earlier film. In its mesmerizing, propulsive drive, "Tarnation" was a heartfelt scramble to make sense of messy lives. Walk Away Renee is an occasionally illuminating patchwork.
- Walk Away Renee lets us observe a mother-son bond, but Mr. Caouette hasn't found a way to galvanize this incarnation of material for strangers.
- 50VarietyLeslie FelperinVarietyLeslie FelperinUltimately, "Renee" feels less like a walk away than a retread.