Backwards
Dada Films | Release Date: September 21, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
43
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
8
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
The A.V. ClubSam AdamsSep 19, 2012
Thomas, credited as writer, producer, and executive producer, is the obvious auteur, orchestrating a star vehicle she lacks the screen presence to anchor. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinSep 20, 2012
It's simple stuff, but it works. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSep 27, 2012
A movie whose main virtue was its honesty ultimately lands in a place that feels canned and unsatisfying. But on the way there, Backwards isn't so bad. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie RickeySep 21, 2012
Backwards - its title referring to the wisdom that life is lived forward but understood backward - has no forward propulsion. Read full review
50
New York PostSara StewartSep 21, 2012
Director Ben Hickernell soft-pedals the material into a blandly feel-good dramedy. As Abigail's spirited young trainees, Alexandra Metz and Meredith Apfelbaum give Backwards their all, but can't row their way clear of its clichés. Read full review
50
VarietyJoe LeydonSep 19, 2012
Passably pleasant but thoroughly predictable. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanSep 20, 2012
As her boss and boyfriend, an impressively good-natured James Van Der Beek adds a professional sheen to what otherwise feels like a vanity affair. Read full review
40
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisSep 20, 2012
Pairing a dull romance with an even duller sport (at least as represented here), this cliché-ridden vanity project is more suited to the ABC Family channel than to the inside of a movie theater. Read full review
40
Village VoiceMichael NordineSep 19, 2012
Subplots are introduced only to be resolved within minutes, characters jettisoned at a moment's notice. Those who can't do, teach; those who settle apparently end up pretty happy. Read full review
40
Time OutNick SchagerSep 18, 2012
The lesson here, apparently, is that driven women just need to lighten up and stop being selfish - a message that really does feel backward. Read full review
38
Washington PostStephanie MerrySep 28, 2012
The biggest problem, then, is the characters who populate the film. For the most part, they're one-dimensional caricatures. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeMark FeeneySep 27, 2012
The neatness of the plotting becomes almost comical after a while. Construction is one thing; contrivance is another. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineTomas HachardSep 18, 2012
Streamlines its busy set of plots and subplots into a 90-minute sprint, throughout which characters often confront and overcome their obstacles within the same scene. Read full review
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