Matt Majendie of the
Evening Standard rated the film three out of five stars, calling it "moving, but a bit too controlled." He further wrote, "[I]t left me feeling like there could have been more as seen so recently in that graduation speech. It also feels exactly like what it is – a home video originally created for the family and then subsequently turned into a documentary, one suspects because his tennis farewell playing on court with big rival and friend Rafael Nadal was so perfect." Anita Singh of
The Telegraph also gave the film three out of five stars, writing, "Nice guys like Roger Federer don’t make for thrilling subjects, but for sports fans, Asif Kapadia's film is still a worthwhile watch." Peter Bradshaw of
The Guardian gave the film two out of five stars, writing, "[The film] doesn’t give us much of his actual playing, except in tiny clips; it’s only about this peculiar twilit time between the announcement and the final tearful retirement moment. It’s a period in which all the big decisions – including of course the decision to greenlight this film – are not shown." Raphael Abraham of
Financial Times also gave the film two out of five stars, calling it a "lachrymose lap of honour" that "lacks game." He further wrote, "
Twelve Final Days is big on PR but low on actual tennis. Talking heads hymn the beauty of Federer's silky, seemingly effortless technique but analysis of what made it so is fleeting." Liz Moody of
Empire gave the film three out of five stars, calling it "an entertaining, occasionally illuminating and at times surprisingly moving look at the final bow of a genuine tennis legend." Johnny Oleksinski of the
New York Post gave the film three out of four stars, writing, "[T]he poignant takeaway from Federer's documentary is: Enjoy it while it lasts." Wendy Ide of
The Observer rated the film three out of five stars, stating, "[T]he film is not particularly revolutionary or groundbreaking in its approach. But...like its subject, it is a work of unmistakable quality and class." Daniel Fienberg of
The Hollywood Reporter called the film "heartfelt if dull" and "as controlled as Federer could have hoped for." Andrew Barker of
Variety wrote, "For fans, this handsomely-mounted film's level of access will be enticement enough, and its emotional peaks are undeniably stirring. But its limited scope and curious demureness prevent it from offering the full-scale portrait that a figure like Federer deserves." Camilla Long of
The Times wrote, "
Twelve Days, like many Federer things, takes what must be the extraordinary experience of being Roger Federer and turns it simply into a flattened, smooth, uninteresting bit of nylon promo...with none of the teddyish spontaneity of, say, his commencement address at Dartmouth College." ==References==