Appropriate Behavior
Gravitas Ventures | Release Date: January 16, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
TheWrapInkoo KangJan 15, 2015
Unabashedly truthful and restlessly intelligent, Akhavan’s remarkable, near-perfect debut has wit and charisma to spare. Miss it at your own risk. Read full review
90
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlJan 13, 2015
Forget its generic title, its breakup setup, and its indie-standard Brooklyn walk-and-talks: Writer/director Desiree Akhavan's Appropriate Behavior is the freshest comedy of life and love in the city since Obvious Child. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnDec 16, 2014
Appropriate Behavior isn’t a narrative about ethnicity or even LGBT struggles in the traditional sense, but rather a means of exploring the problems that result from reinforcing those very barriers. In the process, it introduces a thoroughly modern voice. Read full review
83
The PlaylistKatie WalshDec 16, 2014
Funny, unique, and entirely inappropriate, Appropriate Behavior is a supremely satisfying and irreverent take on the New York rom-com. Read full review
80
CineVuePatrick GambleMar 5, 2015
Most importantly, Appropriate Behaviour is funny, and not just sporadically entertaining, the film is a riotous series of mishaps from start to finish. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen HoldenJan 15, 2015
For all its disorganization and lack of an ending or even a sense of direction, Appropriate Behavior is alive. The screenplay is packed with smart remarks, clever and unpredictable turns of phrase that knock you off balance. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'HehirJan 15, 2015
Akhavan turns out to be a distinctive and oddly charismatic performer with exquisite comic timing. Read full review
80
Time OutSophie HarrisJan 14, 2015
For all the brazen charms of this warm, funny debut, though, its quieter moments signal a profundity that’s really worth getting excited about. Read full review
80
The DissolveKate ErblandJan 13, 2015
Appropriate Behavior is very funny, even while it’s also being real and heartfelt. It’s a raw story with refined production values, and Akhavan is so open and true in the lead role that what could be an overly insular story instead feels relatable and amusing. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyJan 16, 2015
Appropriate Behavior, even with its reliance on familiar types and tropes, feels like a unique vision of life seen through unique eyes. Read full review
75
Washington PostStephanie MerryJan 15, 2015
Comedy today is less about punch lines and pratfalls and more about eliciting that laugh-gasp hybrid. And those jokes come constantly in Appropriate Behavior. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisJan 15, 2015
The film jumps back and forth to Shirin’s unraveling relationship with her girlfriend, but what stands out are the funny, awkward, sometimes painful moments with her family and with various hook-ups — topped off by a delicate, nuanced and satisfying final scene. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineDiego SemereneJan 15, 2015
Desiree Akhavan's tale of queer post-breakup funk shows more nuance, and racial dimension, than its cinematic cousins. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinJan 17, 2015
Akhavan's confidently off-kilter approach to basic human interaction makes for an authentically ironic, adorably wistful, smartly observed ride. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerJan 15, 2015
Ultimately, Appropriate Behavior works almost in spite of itself; so efficiently does the film explain why Shirin and Maxine split up that eventually it lags behind its own premise. Read full review
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