This movie is well acted, but it does seem to operate on a single, rather depressing note throughout. It would have helped if there was more of an emotional story arc to it. It ends not far emotionally from where it starts.

| Original Score: C | Feb 4, 2019

A gritty but incomplete character-driven musical biopic."

| Original Score: C+ | Feb 3, 2019

I was devastated about what a waste of phenomenal talent this movie [is]... It was basic, and it was lazy writing.

| Sep 8, 2018

Left as a footnote in music and hip hop history, when the film is at its best, it's a mold breaking biopic for its subject. At its worst, it's as unfocused as the teenage mind it inhabits.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 27, 2018

Gets a difficult job done right: telling a Black woman's story on the screen. It tells that story with no frills, no gimmicks, no myths, and no pulled punches. It's real from jump.

| Jun 14, 2018

Roxanne Roxanne places more onus on Shant's path to notoriety rather than glamorizing how she transformed hip-hop-in sharp contrast to the conclusive glory of other rap biopics.

| Jun 12, 2018

There is no nostalgia in Roxanne Roxanne, none of that warm halo that surrounds The Get Down. The best times for hiphop were very bad times for Shant: her mother imploding into alcohol addiction, her moments of homelessness, her bruises.

| Apr 27, 2018

Despite these dark themes, this film is a joy for hip-hop heads.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 28, 2018

Instead of riding a roller coaster of disillusionment, Larnell creates Passion Play, and a periodically tedious one at that.

| Original Score: C | Mar 28, 2018

The visceral Roxanne, Roxanne is a serviceable and necessary film carried by strong performances from Adams, Long, and Ali.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Mar 27, 2018

Gritty, violent bio of '80s rap star is ultimately hopeful.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 27, 2018

Larnell gathers a wide cast of vital actors for a bustling series of incidents that veer quickly from the sentimental to the shattering.

| Mar 26, 2018

Adams is able to bring Shant to life, but "Roxanne Roxanne" is so focused on personal details that the bigger picture is rendered blurry.

| Original Score: C | Mar 23, 2018

A film that breaks the musical biopic mold in ways that are sometimes frustrating and frequently exhilarating.

| Mar 22, 2018

Don't worry: There will be rap battles and concert scenes and they do not disappoint. But they are the bass line beat. The drama of ordinary life is what makes this story stick in your head.

| Mar 22, 2018

One presumes that Michael Lerner's sense of emphasis is meant to humanize Shant, defining her apart from the fame she achieved, but this stratagem backfires as Roxanne Roxanne mires itself in scenes of speechifying domestic strife.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 21, 2018

By shaping Roxanne Roxanne as a character profile, Larnell accentuates his actors' performances and crafts a nuanced community portrait ...

| Original Score: B | Mar 20, 2018

In attempting a gritty portrayal of Shant's little-known private life, Roxanne Roxanne forgets her genius, as so many other people did back in the day.

| Mar 20, 2018

The film isn't just an account of one woman in hip-hop. It's about how the lived experiences of Black and brown people, including women, were always the heartbeat of rap.

| Mar 16, 2018

Roxanne Roxanne is a story that needed to be told, And if you are familiar with the story you will likely to find it bold, but it needs just a bit more guidance and perhaps more time, to truly let the story of this forgotten star shine.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Nov 15, 2017