62
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanA skillful and winning piece of honest booster portraiture.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleA surprisingly layered portrait.
- 75Chicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonChicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonCorny as it may sound though, it's all true-except, of course, for that mythical movie last-second championship bit.
- 70VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonSlickly entertaining documentary.
- 67Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam ArnoldSeattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam ArnoldEven if you know or care little about the sport, it's a fascinating saga.
- 63The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyCo-directed by James D. Stern (who made another NBA promotional documentary, "Michael Jordan to the Max") and Adam Del Deo, the story of the Americanization of Yao is determinedly upbeat.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterWhat emerges is that Yao is a fascinating individual with great humor and modesty, as well as the potential to be one of the greats. Unfortunately, that's all we really find out about the guy.
- 60The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasWith their fawning documentary Year Of The Yao, directors James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo unreflectively buy into the spin on charismatic 7'6" basketball center Yao Ming, but on a certain level, who can blame them?
- 50Los Angeles TimesKevin CrustLos Angeles TimesKevin CrustProvides little insight beyond hanging out with its super-sized star and would not be out of place as halftime filler except for its nearly 90-minute running time.
- 40L.A. WeeklyL.A. WeeklyThis glorified infomercial glosses over the underlying tension of a young man's introduction into a society whose materialistic, capitalist tendencies are diametrically opposed to his country's values.