The Extra Man 2010

A.O. Scott, At the Movies: I felt the whole movie was kind of mannered and labored. Read more

Jake Coyle, Associated Press: Kline's performance as Henry -- regal in its classical stage pronunciations -- is clearly the best thing in the film. But the character still fails to resonate; Henry isn't much more than a bag of peculiarities. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: For all its flighty charms, The Extra Man never really lands. Read more

John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: Kline is his usual engaging self but it's a supporting role he's playing by virtue of the script, but also Mr. Dano's presence, in this potent charmer of a film. Read more

Noel Murray, AV Club: Kline gives a wild, wonderful performance, reminiscent of his work on A Fish Called Wanda. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Read more

Cliff Doerksen, Chicago Reader: [A] drearily quirky mess. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Some actors are dinner. Kevin Kline is dessert, and his comic brio saves the film version of The Extra Man from its limitations. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Kevin Kline tends to give bravura performances even when he's not playing bravura characters. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Dano and Kline are very fine performers. So why is this comedy such a chore? The answer appears to be whimsy overload. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: An entertaining kinky kick of a movie, a lightweight delight about dreamers and dilettantes. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: What feels enjoyably outre in the 1998 coming-of-age novel by Jonathan Ames feels oppressively outre in this deadened, literal adaptation. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Adapted from the Jonathan Ames novel, the film is too precious around the edges, but it gets somewhere. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: The Extra Man not only gilds the flower, but then glues on sequins and forces it into cha-cha heels. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Kline has a ball, while Dano turns in a pitch-perfect performance. He never mocks his character's desires, or undersells his fears. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Darlings, there's nothing quite so tragique as a boring eccentric. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: The film knocks itself unconscious trying to be whimsical and offbeat, but is so contrived that it is as embarrassing as it is unfunny. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The movie aggressively pushes its whimsicality to the point where it feels less whimsical than just aggressive. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: In this maddeningly uneven film version of Jonathan Ames' acclaimed 1998 novel, Kevin Kline gives a master class in acting. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: It's relentlessly unwacky and even quietly subversive. Read more

Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The Extra Man is a disappointment coming from Berman and Pulcini, whose American Splendor was an imaginative biopic about the late comic-book author Harvey Pekar. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: The movie you were hoping to avoid. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: Although too devoted to matters literary, theatrical, operatic and sexually outre to make it with general audiences, this adaptation of Jonathan Ames' novel exudes the sort of smarts and sophisticated charm specialized audiences seek. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: Going below the surface, the filmmakers and the cast (including a marvelous performance by Marian Seldes as an osteoporotic doyenne) successfully create the hardest characters to pull off: exotic yet recognizable New Yorkers. Read more

Sean O'Connell, Washington Post: Swifter comedic timing and a clearer narrative thread might have helped center this peculiar adaptation of Jonathan Ames's 1998 novel of the same name. Then again, maybe not. Read more