You can't fault it as smart entertainment, which eschews parody to make a sincere tribute that also serves as cogent current commentary.
- Peter Howell, Toronto Star, April 17, 2012
Goofily gorgeous, heartfelt and endlessly rewatchable, this is the true meaning of escapism - a doorway to another world, a world created to entertain eyes, heart and brain.
- Catherine Bray, Film4, March 22, 2012
The movie ever fully shakes off its air of skillfully executed experiment, but it's spirited and charming nonetheless.
- Jon Frosch, The Atlantic, March 07, 2012
An occasion when style really does triumph over substance.
- CJ Johnson, ABC Radio (Australia), February 27, 2012
If you want to see some spectacularly adorable if not particularly lasting or memorable dog tricks, The Artist is the film you've been waiting for.
- Simon Miraudo, Quickflix, January 31, 2012
Hazanavicius has woven together a variety of cinematic styles from different eras to make a silent film that is easily accessible to a contemporary audience.
- Thomas Caldwell, Cinema Autopsy, January 30, 2012
Its appeal lies in its innate ability of tapping into that sense of joy that lies within us all. It is irresistibly charming. It is unmissable.
- Ed Gibbs, The Sun Herald, January 29, 2012
Everything about The Artist is unique, from its beautiful black and white images as it pays tribute to the silent movies of the 1920s to the casting choices and the resolution
- Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile, January 28, 2012
It's easy to be captivated by this unique, universal piece that above all makes us care for its characters as we journey through a maze of emotions
- Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile, January 28, 2012
'The Artist': Michel Hazanavicius's novelty film owes much to Jean Dujardin's irresistible smile
- Joe Baltake, Passionate Moviegoer, January 08, 2012
Simply irresistible.
- Damon Wise, Empire Magazine, January 05, 2012
For a movie that is so much about technique, it's surprising how affecting the story is.
- James Berardinelli, ReelViews, December 28, 2011
The Artist is the most surprising and delightful film of 2011.
- Tom Long, Detroit News, December 23, 2011
A silent movie shot in sumptuous black-and-white, no less. A silent flick made with not a jot of distancing winking, but instead born of a heady affection for a bygone, very bygone, era of filmmaking.
- Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post, December 23, 2011
It's a rocket to the moon fueled by unadulterated joy and pure imagination.
- Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune, December 22, 2011
Strangely, wonderfully, The Artist feels as bold and innovative a moviegoing experience as James Cameron's bells-and-whistles Avatar did a couple of years ago.
- Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer, December 22, 2011
It's a gentle, wistful tale, but with an ending so joyous and movie-magical that you just might dance out of the theater. (I did.)
- Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times, December 22, 2011
It isn't arty or intellectual, though it is artful and ingenious, and it's the rare crowd-pleaser that never feels obvious or pandering.
- Rafer Guzman, Newsday, February 15, 2013
There is literally nothing wrong with it. I don't have a single nit to pick, minor flaw to point out or little bit that annoyed me. It is pure magic from the first frame to the last.
- Mark Rabinowitz, CNN.com, February 15, 2013
"The Artist'' is a small, exquisitely-cut jewel in a style everyone assumes is 80 years out of date.
- Ty Burr, Boston Globe, December 22, 2011
