She's Funny That Way 2014

Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: The actors do their best with a hit-and-miss screenplay. Read more

Wesley Morris, Grantland: The whole movie is tantrums and meltdowns and pitiful nostalgia... And yet every once in a while, something funny will happen. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: A screwball farce that pulls off a pitifully low percentage of its gags, even with a star-crammed cast. Read more

Guy Lodge, Variety: Accumulates the necessary narrative chaos without ever building a full head of comic steam. Read more

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, AV Club: Broad, occasionally clunky, sometimes funny, scattered with poignant grace notes, and, in its own peculiar way, endearing. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: The giggly men's-magazine tone, especially in Bogdanovich's treatment of call girls, makes the movie seem weirdly anachronistic. Read more

Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly: She's pretty much a turkey, actually, and even a stacked cast-Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, Rhys Ifans, Kathryn Hahn, Will Forte-can't rescue director Peter Bogdanovich's overcooked giblets. Read more

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: [A] strained though mildly enjoyable ensemble comedy. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: So hopelessly nostalgic about the madcap fizz and fury of screwball pictures, it never works up a head of steam as a funny, in-this-moment comedy on its own. Read more

Ella Taylor, NPR: She's Funny That Way is a trifle. But it's a sweetly nostalgic trifle, especially if you're fond of classic screwball complete with overlapping quippage delivered at breakneck speed. Read more

Stephen Whitty, New York Daily News: Partway through "She's Funny That Way," a cabbie gets so sick of Owen Wilson and Kathryn Hahn's yammering that he abandons his taxi and walks away. If only we could join him. Read more

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: There's barely a whiz-bang punch line or smoothly executed setup to be found in a movie that longs to be a sparkling bedroom comedy and winds up a tortured, fizz-free farce. Read more

Molly Eichel, Philadelphia Inquirer: A loving ode to screwball comedies from the Golden Age of Hollywood that never approaches the films it pays homage to. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: "She's Funny That Way" is one of those movies that you want to like rather more than you actually do. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: If you still want to see it, I won't talk you out of it. But that's as far as I'll go. Read more

Nathalie Atkinson, Globe and Mail: For all its histrionics, the comedy is sluggish, plagued by wildly uneven acting, jokes that don't land and a bizarre plot, let alone odd casting choices. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: Despite the farcical set-ups (involving adjoining hotel rooms, private detectives, and a brusque, busybody therapist played with aching exaggeration by Jennifer Aniston), there's very little here that brings the funny. Read more

Cath Clarke, Time Out: It's fluffy fun, packed with in-jokes for movie lovers. Read more

Liz Braun, Toronto Sun: This is a light and lovely confection that doesn't linger in the mind, but it will certainly leave you smiling. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice: Before long, the story's mechanics become wearisome and all too visible. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: She's Funny That Way often displays an old-school generosity and polish, and at least one breakout performance - but just as often, its moments of inspiration are tempered by miscasting and shrill attempts at humor. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Even the cinematography is ill-advised, since it's literally off-color; warm tones meant to evoke romantic feelings come off as a jaundiced homage to Woody Allen, from whom many of this film's tropes have been not-so-piquantly purloined. Read more