55
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThis portrait of influential U.N. diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello benefits immensely from two magnetic leads, Wagner Moura and Ana de Armas, whose onscreen chemistry is undeniable; but its deft sense of structure is of equal importance, making it an engrossing picture even for those who know next to nothing about its subject or settings.
- 70Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversSergio is not a film about a saint or a sinner, but an attempt that succeeds more often than not to create a portrait of a man in full. Yes, it also occasionally puts him on a pedestal — but in these dark days, advocating for hope and idealism feels exactly right.
- 63The Associated PressLindsey BahrThe Associated PressLindsey BahrYou’re always waiting for the movie to really get going. It’s shot like a political thriller without the thrills.
- 60Sergio’s intentions are pure, and the movie is pleasingly old-school in the way it merges political drama — and tragedy — with romance. Sometimes, though, the burden of playing a dedicated servant of the people appears to be too much for Moura: the performance feels stiff and stately, as if he’s considered every breath. Moura makes us see the gleaming role model, but it’s much harder to see the man underneath — and you can’t leave a legacy without first having had a heartbeat.
- 60Screen RantSandy SchaeferScreen RantSandy SchaeferUneven yet sincere in its execution, Sergio combines simplified political melodrama with a tragic love story powered by its leads' performances.
- 60The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeeThe sweeping, full-throated romance of the last act might not work for some, who could conceivably argue its dominance leaves gaps in Sérgio’s professional life, but it makes for an emotionally satisfying ending.
- 50The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzWagner Moura (Narcos’s Pablo Escobar himself) does what he can as the sturdy Sergio, and the actor has strong, near-instant chemistry with a love interest played by Ana de Armas.
- 50VarietyJessica KiangVarietyJessica KiangSergio Vieira de Mello was, by all accounts, not a man who let fear of making the wrong decision stop him from acting decisively, and it’s a shame that the soft-edged romantic prevarications of Sergio prevent the film from embodying that same dynamism.
- 50The PlaylistRobert DanielsThe PlaylistRobert DanielsBarker takes his initially enthralling documentary and dilutes the story with this new feature, creating melodramatic lightness without an affectingly heavy touch due to the tepid tone and wheezing tempo. In short, it snoozes.
- 40Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternSergio, a Netflix docudrama directed by Greg Barker from a banal screenplay by Craig Borten, catches flashes of his brilliance from time to time but scatters and dims them through a mosaic structure that’s ultimately no structure at all.