The film received mixed reviews from critics. Rick Groen of
The Globe and Mail called it more a work in progress than an accomplished film, writing that "At best, the references form an organic part of the plot, and give the deathly puzzle an epistemological kick ("Truth is a matter of opinion," someone mutters). At worst, they're a bit show-offy and sophomoric, like listening to a bunch of sherry-sippers in an undergraduate common room. The same highs and lows can be seen in McKinley's working out of the mystery itself - the resolution is opaque, with a lot of loose ends, some of which seem deliberate and provocatively murky, others of which seem accidental and confusingly shoddy." Katherine Monk of the
Vancouver Sun wrote that "At times Impolite is so well-read, it can lose you in its quickness - like a
Stoppard play that thrives on inside intelligentsia jokes. (Here, at least all the inside jokes are Canadian.) At other times, it can have you scratching your head in search of a linear through-line the way
Lynch is apt to do, and other times, heck, it feels as down home as an episode of
the Beachcombers." ==References==