42
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinMargaret Whitton strikes a pleasing balance between amusing and sensitive, largely eluding the potentially precious minefields in their way.
- 50The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMs. Nichols is consistently appealing in the kind of role Zooey Deschanel has pretty much cornered, and Philippe Rousselot's nighttime shots of highway tragedy are dreamily atmospheric. If only Roger Towne's screenplay had focused less on the metaphysical import of Lyman's savior impulses and more on the physical rewards of his salvaged life.
- 40Village VoiceVillage VoiceThe cast detracts, too: Fiona, a flighty loner in the book, is a grating twit in Nichols's hands, and Hurst, while likeable, is flat and too hunky. The bird's got more charisma, which in a better movie would've been the point.
- 40VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibUnable to establish a consistent tone, picture goes derivatively screwball one minute and stickily sentimental the next.
- 38Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerSlant MagazineAndrew SchenkerNaturally, given the film's somewhat precious air of spiritualism, the parroted phrase that speaks most clearly to Lyman is a quotation from the book of Ecclesiastes that gives the film its title and gives Fiona a chance to offer a blithely optimistic interpretation of that most dour of Biblical books.
- At its most entertaining when the parrot does the talking.