Still, what Tipping masters perfectly in the film is the constant ebb and flow of humor, and darkness, that runs through the narrative that is inner city boyhood.

| Apr 12, 2017

It's about manhood, growing up in the hood, and the inner struggles you don't see played out on the news... It's not a perfect movie by any means, but I'm interested to see what Tipping does next.

| Original Score: B- | Mar 22, 2017

Tipping, who also co-wrote the polished script, captures this unique mix of adolescent anxiety, urban decay and societal friction in a remarkably confident fashion ...

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 23, 2016

The motif of a faceless, imaginary spaceman following the boy around is overly precious, but what does work is Tipping's focus on sensitive boys hardening in reaction to their father figures (or lack thereof).

| Sep 22, 2016

Call it Bicycle Thieves In The Hood. At least that's what Justin Tipping's simultaneously dazzling and frustrating debut, Kicks, seems to be shooting for.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 21, 2016

Tipping throws all sorts of tricks at the screen, most of which don't work.

| Original Score: C- | Sep 16, 2016

Tipping's admittedly artful style is relatively ambiguous, focusing mostly on cheap visceral thrills, to the point where it's impossible to glean what he thinks about the depths to which Brandon will go.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Sep 15, 2016

It's a powerful debut from a director who knows how to capture a moment, and convey a rabid conviction to hold on to your beliefs.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 15, 2016

Kicks is not without its flaws, but even the flaws show Tipping's willingness to take risks, to go for the big gesture and to go for it honestly.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Sep 9, 2016

The characters have enough dimension to avoid appearing to be symbols of a social tragedy, and the movie's relative gentleness makes the harsher realities of Brandon's world all the more distressing.

| Sep 8, 2016

"Kicks" is that kind of fascinatingly uneven indie only children of gritty urban life know how to make when they're ready to pick up a camera and engage with their past.

| Sep 8, 2016

It's well made, compelling, and no more of a miserablist wallow than any number of film-festival refugees. Yet the movie's persistent grimness keeps compounding in a way that starts to feel like an end unto itself.

| Original Score: C+ | Sep 8, 2016

It doesn't really add up, either as a psychological portrait or moral commentary.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Sep 7, 2016

It's less notable for its originality than for how dynamically it blends a few styles that ultimately prove incompatible.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Sep 3, 2016

Kicks has almost too much grittiness for its own good, but its petite go-getter's appeal easily smooths over many of the film's rougher edges.

| Original Score: B | Apr 26, 2016

This is a debut of undeniable promise, both for its director and its largely unknown cast.

| Apr 26, 2016

If the movie is over-reliant on slo-mo, voiceover and almost wall-to-wall music to drive scenes, its silky blend of lyricism with urban grit marks it as a promising debut.

| Apr 17, 2016