28
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Screen DailyAllan HunterScreen DailyAllan HunterJohn F. Donovan may revisit a lot of familiar territory for Dolan but on this form it is good to welcome him home.
- 42IndieWireEric KohnIndieWireEric KohnA shocking misfire that nevertheless demonstrates the sheer confidence in his storytelling that Dolan has cultivated over a decade of movies. It’s the only possible explanation for this baffling ensemble piece, a campy (if at times inspired) burst of melodrama and ludicrous scenarios caving into each other in a spectacular mash of half-baked ideas.
- 42The PlaylistJason BaileyThe PlaylistJason BaileyEvery time Dolan generates a head of steam, he’s betrayed by his script, by the self-conscious formality of the dialogue, or the clunkiness of the structure.
- 42The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloIn any case, what remains of John F. Donovan is a barely coherent mess, and so eager for your approval that it’s hard to feel anything but sorry for it.
- 33The Film StageThe Film StageA baffling exercise in taking real issues and genuine emotional experiences and (seemingly due to some misplaced anxiety) deploying them in service of pure vanity.
- 30The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonThe Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonDolan has labored hard to yoke together these tricksy, time-jumping, intertwined plots, reportedly editing down a mountain of material over two years. In the process, a whole character played by Jessica Chastain was surgically removed. But however long he tinkered, Dolan has not quite salvaged a story whose default setting seems to be mirthless, ponderous navel-gazing.
- 30VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeWhat could have been a powerful ode to the impact that movies have in shaping our identities — and by extension, the reason broken people are drawn to the profession, through which they hope to reach others like themselves — becomes an over-the-top celebration of Dolan himself.
- 30The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisStruggling to connect the filaments of past and present, youth and maturity, Dolan seems lost, his signature vivaciousness and sense of fun almost entirely muted. Instead, what lingers is a feeling of being lectured to — which isn’t much fun at all.
- 25The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorPerhaps explanations for all these improbable scenarios were lost on the cutting-room floor during Dolan’s notoriously prolonged editing process.
- 20The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeeNone of it rings remotely true and his insistence on playing out so many scenes at such a high level can make it an excruciating watch.