Answers to Nothing 2011

Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: Some fine performances and an embrace of understatement make Matthew Leutwyler's oddly titled "Answers to Nothing" a respectable entry in the multiple-stories-that-interlock genre. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: The title is an understatement. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: Answers To Nothing's thinly drawn characters orbit one another like fading satellites until their stories intersect and overlap in arbitrary ways. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Even in the best ensembles, there's always a weak character, someone we're relieved to get away from so that we can get back to the people who interest us. Here, we can't wait to get away from pretty much all of them. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: The trick for a movie with this many loosely connected people is to find the magic or tragedy or thought that arranges them into some kind of galaxy. Read more

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: There's a lack of real conclusiveness to many of the film's characters and situations. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: Nearly a dozen random themes and characters have been Scotch-taped together into a single mess. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: An apt title that sadly recalls lesser ensemble pieces like "Playing by Heart," while wanting to be "Grand Canyon." Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: It begins with Dane Cook procuring sperm to impregnate his desperate wife with a little help from his mistress - and goes steadily downhill from there. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The connections seem less immediate and significant, and so the movie sometimes seems based on a group of separate short stories. Read more

Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: Any movie that calls itself Answers to Nothing ought to be 100 percent sure it's about something. Read more

Dennis Harvey, Variety: This somber drama is well crafted and watchable but lacks the distinctive story content, style and standout performances to become more than a serviceable reboot of familiar ideas. Read more

Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: The most embarrassing project on co-star Barbara Hershey's resume. Read more