Banana Split
Vertical Entertainment | Release Date (Streaming): March 27, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
85
Film ThreatAlan NgMar 26, 2020
What makes Banana Split, so astonishing is its story—written by the film’s star Hannah Marks and co-writer Joey Power. The script is fearless, and the four members of this love triangle (I know) are brilliantly created and well-developed characters. Read full review
83
IndieWireKate ErblandMar 26, 2020
Like any romance, Banana Split is constrained to some familiar beats, but Kasulke, Marks, and Power have such a handle on what makes the film tick — and Marks and Liberato are so charming and fun — that even expected turns feel clever and fresh. Read full review
80
Screen RantHannah HoolihanMar 26, 2020
Bolstered by a thoughtful script and beautifully authentic performances, Banana Split provides a fresh take on the coming-of-age romantic comedy. Read full review
75
Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpApr 9, 2020
Fundamentally, Banana Split isn’t about making unexpected friendships under antithetical circumstances, but about figuring out how to maintain them no matter what difficulties it encounters. It’s an honest film, and unabashedly fun, with a really kickass soundtrack as a bonus. Read full review
75
The Playlist Charles BarfieldMar 28, 2020
Even the most egregious issues of the film are quickly forgiven when Marks and Liberto are on the screen. Prepare to be delighted by their interactions and relationship, transporting you back to the times you would needlessly drive long distances on impromptu adventures just to spend time with your best friend. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyMar 27, 2020
Make it through the first 10 minutes. It’s just the film warming up. The rest of it flows. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMar 26, 2020
The humor avoids becoming too outrageous. This is like an indie version of Olivia Wilde’s "Booksmart," which was filmed after Banana Split despite being released earlier. Both films offer complex perspectives of high school-oriented female friendships without demanding a happy ending for the happy ending. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKimber MyersMar 26, 2020
Regardless of how far audience members are from their own post-high school, pre-college summer like these teens, there’s still truth and plenty of laughter here that feels specific to their experience yet universal to anyone who’s had a BFF. Read full review
70
TheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanMar 25, 2020
Marks and Liberato are a delight, equally appealing on their own and total #FriendshipGoals together. The two are close in real life and the strength of their chemistry is, ultimately, what makes the movie so special. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 24, 2020
There’s nothing deep in this Banana Split, nothing remotely moving or profound. But Marks (TV’s “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency”) and Liberato (“If I Stay”) let us believe these two would connect, push each other’s buttons and bruise each other, and in just that way — just not in the way the title implies. Read full review
60
VarietyOwen GleibermanMar 27, 2020
The director, Benjamin Kasulke, is a veteran cinematographer who brings the L.A. settings a spangly glow, but he stages too many scenes with generic “punch.” I wish he’d played against the comedy instead of italicizing it, and that he’d come up with some pop-music epiphanies and ditched the film’s cloying synthesizer score. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweMar 26, 2020
Power and Marks clearly have a facility with dialogue, and even though many of their plot points may represent standard dramedy material, the two elevate scene after scene with imaginative insults and witty banter among the characters. Read full review
60
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergMar 26, 2020
Is Banana Split an empty indulgence or a comfortingly familiar confection? Probably both. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyMar 25, 2020
The problem with Banana Split isn’t the surface phoniness or lazy comedy but the fact that the movie doesn’t offer any insight into its ostensible subjects—among them break-ups, female friendship, and teenage jealousy Read full review
40
The GuardianPeter BradshawJun 4, 2020
There is no law that says a movie like this has to be funny exactly, and it needn’t be something in the style of Booksmart – but there is something rather solemn about it. Read full review
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