Breaking Upwards 2009

Tom Russo, Boston Globe: Scenes meant to play as breezy and hip are more often just annoying. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Much ado about a very rote situation, with a hammy excess of New York Jewish shtick (lead offender: Andrea Martin as Zoe's kvetching mom). Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: Comes knocking at the door like a wolf in sheep's clothing, draping reality in a fictional romantic comedy about a twentysomething NYC couple named Daryl and Zoe whose relationship is coming apart. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Watching this movie is no more interesting than talking to any random New York couple about what makes them tick. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: While Alex Bergman's photography is often impressive, Wein's editing has the short attention span of a Hollywood movie, without the accompanying cocaine rush. Read more

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: Breaking Upwards has its amusing and touching moments, but we're left wondering just what we're supposed to make of it all. Read more

Aaron Hillis, Time Out: What stings throughout this stutter-stop relationship are the spot-on modern details, but the overall hipness is a little too forced -- it's damn funny when it could've been poignant. Read more

Ronnie Scheib, Variety: The duo's longtime partnership imparts a palpable, lived-in intimacy, but lack of careful story construction sometimes hobbles the narrative's comic flow. Read more

Chuck Wilson, Village Voice: Reportedly drawing on their own romantic relationship, Wein and Lister-Jones have co-written a low-budget romantic comedy that's smart and lively and, in the end, quite affecting. Read more