It’s a beautiful-looking film that captures the intensity of a particular moment, but it ultimately boils a collective uprising down to a personal existential crisis that is not particularly revealing.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 29, 2022

The Boy from Medellín's early commitment to emotional and psychological honesty is ultimately subsumed by the doc's refusal to engage on any political level.

| Jun 6, 2021

Although reggaeton superstar J Balvin opens his heart to the audience, the exploration of themes such as fame and social responsibility doesn't bring something new to the conversation. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 4, 2021

An engrossing portrait of elusive, global, music superstar.

| Original Score: B | May 18, 2021

Where the film lacks depth, the intimate perspective enables it to find rhythm.

| May 15, 2021

An absorbing documentary...

| May 14, 2021

It's not really a concert movie at all; it's more a study of a performer and a man. I learned a lot about him, and came away appreciating all the complexity of him.

| May 13, 2021

Stardom can be difficult

| Original Score: 7/10 | May 12, 2021

Will obviously have its greatest appeal for those who are already Balvin fans, but the darker undercurrents should make it intriguing to others as well.

| Original Score: B- | May 10, 2021

Medellin is really about Balvin's very personal journey toward clarity and wellness.

| May 10, 2021

The J Balvin doc doesn't hit the right notes.

| Original Score: 2/4 | May 8, 2021

A bit of a mixed bag but on balance worth seeing.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 8, 2021

"The Boy from Medellin" is all glitz and little substance.

| Original Score: C | May 8, 2021

[A]n appealing tag-along portrait of Colombian reggaeton superstar J Balvin at a moment of noteworthy pressure in his Latin Grammy-winning, Coachella-headlining and streaming-dominant pop ascendancy.

| May 8, 2021

"The Boy From Medellín" is a timely look at modern fame, social media and social justice, and what it is we want from our stars.

| Original Score: B | May 8, 2021

Director Heineman shows that José is a thinking, feeling human being, and an artist with a platform he's willing to use "to speak for others." With all his insecurity, and flaws, we see this boy from Medillín grow up in just 8 days.

| May 7, 2021

Through Balvín's plights, Heineman invites us to consider how entertainers have become commodified and disassociated from their humanity in our eyes.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 7, 2021

The rare footage of past performances show Balvin's authentic passion for his craft, pushing the music genre that continues to blend into the mainstream, and put on an impressive show for his fans.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 7, 2021

Some films make do with stories that present an interesting surface and little more. In The Boy From Medellín, undercurrents run constantly. Depression and anxiety provide two of them, but the most dramatic one flows from politics.

| May 7, 2021

In "getting political," Balvin risks alienating some fans, but he stands to win some as well - the viewers of this documentary, for instance.

| May 6, 2021