52
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceThe movie buzzes with the quirky rhythms of Jaglom's patented improvisational shooting style, and those of Frederick herself, whose go-for-broke zaniness recalls that of a former Jaglom ingenue, Karen Black.
- 63TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxOnce again brushing aside critical drubbings and public indifference, determined independent auteur Henry Jaglom follows up the abysmal "Let's Go Shopping" with something far better: an old-school Hollywood cautionary tale about -- what else? -- Hollywood.
- 63New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoA must for Jaglom fans. For other viewers, it will depend upon how much they can take of Jaglom's improvisational style and Frederick's over-the-top, tear-filled acting.
- 60The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisKnowing but never jaded, Hollywood Dreams is driven by Ms. Frederick's no-boundaries commitment to her broken character, a performance that's as startling as it is touching. In Mr. Jaglom's maverick hands, the appeal of illusion over reality is both fatal and irresistible.
- 58The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonThe A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonIt's unclear whether Frederick's an awful actress or a tremendous one pretending to be awful, but either way, it's hard to pity her nasal, pushy, babyish Iowa girl.
- 50VarietyVarietyThough it boasts slightly more narrative structure than his other work, Jaglom's script still serves as a catalyst for wild improvisation, suggesting the inside-jokey result was more fun to make than to watch.
- It's a very mixed bag. When it's good, Hollywood Dreams is corrosively funny and unexpectedly poignant. And when it's bad, it's over-the-top bad.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleDoes a number of sly things.
- 38New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanIt's not unusual for a Henry Jaglom film to fall into a black hole of narcissism, but he has outdone himself with his latest, a satire on Hollywood's unshakable self-absorption.
- 38Boston GlobeTy BurrBoston GlobeTy BurrMeant to be an insider's tale, but it feels like it comes from the cinema of hangers-on.