David Lamble Bay Area Reporter May 12, 2020

Watson shifts from deceptively demur to hellcat without losing a beat or upstaging the rest of the film.

Go to Full Review

Christopher Campbell Cinematical Sep 17, 2007 2.5/5

After watching his directorial debut, Wah-Wah, I'd like [Richard] Grant to stay in front of the camera.

Go to Full Review

Jason Gorber Film Scouts Jun 21, 2007 B

Emily Watson is delightful as the American step-mother, as is the rest of the ensemble.

Go to Full Review

Kevin Lally Film Journal International Feb 22, 2007

Grant has crafted a handsome period piece that never betrays his first-timer status.

Go to Full Review

Josh Bell Las Vegas Weekly Jul 6, 2006 2.5/5

While this is clearly a very personal film for Grant, and he seems to want to tackle some serious issues, his vision is too clouded by nostalgia to be truly compelling.

Go to Full Review

Jack Garner Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Jun 30, 2006 8/10

Grant is an impressively assured filmmaker, especially for a first-timer.

Go to Full Review

James O'Ehley SA Movie & DVD Magazine Jun 29, 2006

Only occasionally successful . . .

Go to Full Review

Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle Jun 24, 2006 3/5

Wah-Wah is never less than good but it's also never quite great.

Go to Full Review

Jeff Vice Deseret News (Salt Lake City) Jun 23, 2006 2/4

Full of too much blah, blah. And way too much of the shrill, shrieking, screaming, carrying-on variety.

Go to Full Review

Sean P. Means Salt Lake Tribune Jun 23, 2006 2.5/4

The lush African setting sets this coming-of-age saga apart - it's too bad Grant didn't use it for more than picture-postcard backdrops.

Go to Full Review

Paul Doro Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jun 16, 2006 2/4

Ralph's life, at least as it's presented here, isn't all that interesting, and Grant fails to elevate the ordinary into anything more than that.

Go to Full Review

Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Jun 16, 2006 3/4

I admired the movie and was happy to see it but can think of two other films about whites in Africa that do a better job of seeing their roles.

Go to Full Review

Urban Cinefile Critics Urban Cinefile Jun 15, 2006

I admire how Grant's writing and direction take Africa for granted (pardon the pun) in the sense that we are spared longing long shots of landscapes and similar signs of awestruck filmmaking. It's is the real thing, no wah-wah about it.

Go to Full Review

Jessica Reaves Chicago Tribune Jun 15, 2006 2/4

Watching it is like trying to assemble a puzzle that's missing pieces: You can see the outline of a story, and some shapes fit neatly together, but there are undeniable holes.

Go to Full Review

Eric D. Snider EricDSnider.com Jun 8, 2006 B-

Rare is the honest labor of love that doesn't have some redeeming value, and Wah-Wah ultimately wins you over with its sincerity.

Go to Full Review

Angela Baldassarre Sympatico.ca Jun 4, 2006

The film "Wah-Wah" comes across as contrived and artificial.

Go to Full Review

Jean Lowerison San Diego Metropolitan Jun 3, 2006

We've seen these characters before, and aside from Ruby, they aren't all that fascinating.

Go to Full Review

Peter Howell Toronto Star Jun 2, 2006 3/4

Deftly balancing the end of British colonialism in Africa against a family's painful disintegration, Wah-Wah marks the impressive directing debut of Richard E. Grant.

Go to Full Review

Moira MacDonald Seattle Times Jun 2, 2006 3/4

The actors give it a spark, and Grant directs his fine cast with sureness.

Go to Full Review

David Elliott San Diego Union-Tribune Jun 2, 2006 2/4

Maybe the film is loyal to memory, yet it loses steam while gaining speed. The plot becomes a turnstile.

Go to Full Review