Downtown Express

2011

1h 30m

Drama

Romance

List

55%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

As an important recital draws near, a Russian violin student (Philippe Quint) at Juilliard becomes torn between two worlds when he falls in love with a New York street musician (Nellie McKay).

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Sheri Linden

Los Angeles Times

The unconvincing but gently spirited "Jazz Singer" update features accomplished musicians in the lead roles; the treat is their playing, not their acting.

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 23, 2012

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Elizabeth Weitzman

New York Daily News

Everyone seems so genuinely excited to be sharing their music on film that the entire experience becomes a joyful alliance between audience and actors.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 20, 2012

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Frank Scheck

Hollywood Reporter

The film may be hopelessly old-fashioned, but it's hard to entirely resist its portrait of a city that not only never sleeps but also seems to be bursting with melody at every turn.

Apr 19, 2012

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Brent Simon

Shockya.com

Marked by wide-eyed charm, though not particularly adroit -- a marginal pan, owing to its somewhat lazy and functional narrative. Still, its music, from Philippe Quint and Nellie McKay, absolutely sings.

Rated: C

Sep 26, 2012

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Eric Monder

Film Journal International

"Tchaikovsky must be grabbed by the throat or it becomes sentimental," declares the paterfamilias in Downtown Express, but the character could be critiquing the very movie in which finds himself.

Apr 26, 2012

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Dan Lybarger

eFilmCritic.com

'Downtown Express' is a charming, if somewhat familiar, movie that becomes extraordinary because it has astonishingly good music.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 19, 2012

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Audience Member

looks very promising!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

Unfortunately, I kept comparing it to the movie Once and found it wanting. The pop music did not come anywhere close and the story was not as interestingly told. But the street music and the classical music were wonderful as were the performances of Philippe Quint and Michael Cumpsty.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

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David Grubin

Director

Philippe Quint

Sasha

Nellie McKay

Ramona

Michael Cumpsty

Vadim

Carolyn McCormick

Marie

Ashley Springer

Arkady

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Critics Consensus: The Lucky One Can’t Catch a Break

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Synopsis

As an important recital draws near, a Russian violin student (Philippe Quint) at Juilliard becomes torn between two worlds when he falls in love with a New York street musician (Nellie McKay).

Director: David Grubin
Producer: Tyrone Brown
Screenwriter: David Grubin, Kathleen Cahill
Genre: Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.5K
Runtime: 1h 30m