Another winning turn from Omar Sy is reason enough to enjoy this optimistic comedy/drama.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 10, 2019

That Sy and Gainsbourg's love story never quite inflames the heart ultimately means that Samba remains a pleasant, rather than an enduring watch.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 5, 2019

Based on a novel by Delphine Coulin, this is an affectionate and touching look at the absurdities of life as an illegal, and at its heart are two charming performances.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 22, 2017

It is thanks to the chemistry of [Omar] Sy and [Charlotte] Gainsbourg that some of the vast plot lacunae are filled in although more emphasis should have been put on the life lessons of true deprivation versus professional burnout.

| Sep 15, 2017

In a world filled with immigrants and refugees who are continually on the move, seeking better lives, "Samba" is a gentle revelation of what it means to be human.

| Aug 10, 2017

The new film by the writer-director duo behind the 2011 hit The Intouchables is not as formulaic and manipulative but it lacks the single-minded coherence that was so crucial to that film's success.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Apr 27, 2016

Samba is still an entertaining and enjoyable movie, due in large part to the charm of its leads, Omar Sy and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

| Mar 21, 2016

Nakache and Toledano have another crowd-pleaser with international appeal on their hands.

| Original Score: B+ | Feb 27, 2016

The editing errs on the side of longueurs, but likable people and the mise-en-scne draw you in. Somehow, even the artificiality feels heartwarming.

| Dec 30, 2015

Samba finds a much stronger rhythm when it stops contriving and simply shines a light on the joy and pain (and musical interludes) of lives lived in the margins.

| Original Score: B+ | Dec 30, 2015

[Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano] return with one of [The Untouchables'] stars, Omar Sy, in the title role. It's a darker, sadder and less audience-pleasingly contrived tale than their previous effort.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 30, 2015

A small comedy that bases its success on its leading couple: Omar Sy and the always gracefull Charlotte Gainsbourg. [Full review in Spanish]

| Nov 2, 2015

Although the performances are memorable, the plot does not know how to combine drama and humor. [Full review in Spanish]

| Nov 2, 2015

A refreshing romantic comedy that shares a lot with the director's previous film. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Oct 23, 2015

A comedy that was sold to appeal to a sensitive and inteligent side, but that never happens. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 22, 2015

... becomes caught between a breezy romantic comedy and a provocative drama about social justice.

| Aug 21, 2015

So affecting is the performance by Omar Sy ("Jurassic World," "The Intouchables") as Samba ("like the dance"), an undocumented Senegalese chef, you almost forgive the shortcomings.

| Original Score: B- | Aug 7, 2015

Unfortunately, the material flounders from the broadly farcical to the bombastically melodramatic.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 6, 2015

The filmmakers mix touching social realism, feel-good romantic comedy, and working-class farce into a patronizing ragout of flavors that never successfully blend together.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 6, 2015

Going for frivolity, the endeavor abandons authenticity, adding more confusion and disorder to an already scrambled film.

| Original Score: C- | Aug 5, 2015