40
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 58Portland OregonianMarc MohanPortland OregonianMarc MohanIf the behavior of the characters had been more recognizably human in its venality, and the film's perspective more ruthless, this custom-made compound might have worked.
- 50Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenA sexily chaotic parody of entitlement becomes just another tale of a white dude learning that there are worse things in life than essentially having no problems.
- 50McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMcClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreThe cloying narration and the inclusion of Fonda are just warnings for that moment, 70 minutes in, when this comic chemical train goes completely off the rails. Rockwell, Wilde, Monaghan are worth the price of admission, but “Better Living” would have been better off with more chemistry and less cutesy.
- 50Village VoiceInkoo KangVillage VoiceInkoo KangNever feels as triumphant or as affecting as it should, but the script boasts some amusing meanness of spirit.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeAmusing but not as funny or suspenseful as it could be.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleIt tries too hard, but at least it's trying.
- 50Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinThe film often defies expectations but also winds up sidestepping the kind of trapdoors and quicksand that might have made the ride more exhilarating.
- 38New York PostSara StewartNew York PostSara StewartRockwell is incapable of being boring, so there’s some small entertainment to be found in watching his buttoned-up beta male blossom into full Sam Rockwell.
- 20The DissolveNathan RabinThe DissolveNathan RabinBetter Living Through Chemistry suggests a new cinematic rule: the more impressed a movie is with itself, the less likely it is to impress a discriminating audience liable to have seen all its silly little tricks before.