A Bag of Hammers
MPI Media Group | Release Date: May 11, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
50
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
6
Negative:
2
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
VarietyJoe LeydonMay 8, 2012
First-time feature helmer Brian Crano maneuvers some tricky tonal shifts with impressive ease in A Bag of Hammers, a droll, quirky comedy with a pleasant amount of heart. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubScott TobiasMay 9, 2012
The film has an earnest quality that asserts itself more and more as it sputters along, and the men reveal more personal reasons to insert themselves into the boy's life. It's a good lesson for other films of its ilk: Leaving the world of indie disaffection is an important first step on the road to greatness. Read full review
65
MovielineAlison WillmoreMay 10, 2012
It's a film that should be appallingly twee, but more often than not is actually scruffy and sweet, thanks to a nicely underplayed turn by Chandler Canterbury as the kid, Kelsey, and the chemistry between Jason Ritter and Jake Sandvig as hipster grifters Ben and Alan. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanMay 10, 2012
Woven amid the glib one-liners and contrived scenarios is an unexpected, and undeniably touching, sense of heart. Read full review
60
Village VoiceMichelle OrangeMay 8, 2012
A few striking performances - Ritter, Preston, and Canterbury are especially great - smooth out what might have been a much bumpier ride. Read full review
50
New York PostLou LumenickMay 11, 2012
Rebecca Hall is wasted as Sandvig's sister and the film's voice of reason. Read full review
50
The New York TimesAndy WebsterMay 10, 2012
Any film tossing comic interludes among its closing credits has to be convinced of their hilarity and of the good will the movie has earned with viewers by then. Perhaps the film's naked traffic in sentiment up to that point made Mr. Crano so bold. Whatever; his confidence was unwarranted. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMay 8, 2012
A dicey blend that generates viewer goodwill but can't make its conflicting vibes gel, A Bag of Hammers will play best with the most soft-hearted viewers provided they don't mind rooting for unrepentant felons. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerMay 8, 2012
Suffers from both an odd, ineffective structure and a low-key tone that jars uncomfortably with the subject matter and makes the film's stakes seem unnecessary low. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleMay 17, 2012
Thin, neatly folded, paper-airplane of a movie threatens to nose dive into tweeville. Read full review
20
Time OutNick SchagerMay 8, 2012
The real scam was the filmmakers tricking Rebecca Hall (and a cameoing Amanda Seyfried) into participating in this blunt instrument of an indie. Read full review
More From This Movie

50 Critic Reviews

6.8 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 71 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL