Metacritic reviews

The real star of this film is the crowded, neon-lit byways of the city itself.

The film is unsparingly gritty, but with a woman's tenderness it also grants the characters an occasional moment of grace.

The story sometimes seems hesitant to confront the most harrowing implications of the harsh realities it portrays. But it benefits greatly from Syed's close-to-the-bone performance as the boy.

Director Mira Nair indulges in some melodramatic explorations, however, dangerously verging on a romanticized Oriental tearjerker mood.