Big Time Adolescence
Neon | Release Date: March 13, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
SlashfilmMar 1, 2020
A pair of endearing and hilarious lead performances from teenage Griffin Gluck and comedy prodigy Pete Davidson turn the movie into a real gem. Read full review
80
Vanity FairRichard LawsonMar 1, 2020
Rarely in Big Time Adolescence does anything feel canned or beyond the realm of the credible. All the characters in the film seem to have inner lives; we believe that they exist past the confines of the film. It’s a pleasure to be in their warm and appealing company, even as the proceedings take a turn for the mildly dire. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMar 26, 2020
To the credit of Orley’s screenplay and Davidson’s smiling-devil performance as the charming but toxic Zeke, we can understand how a vulnerable teen could mistake a loser for a legend — and we’re rooting like hell for the kid to realize that mistake before it’s too late. Read full review
75
New York PostSara StewartMar 11, 2020
Davidson expertly plays the role like he’s playing . . . well, Pete Davidson, which is how I imagine his career will go. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattMar 1, 2020
If Big Time isn’t exactly a PSA for good adulting, it’s still an endearingly messy portrait of boyhood and manhood and all the lessons in between. Read full review
75
IndieWireEric KohnJan 29, 2019
As coming-of-age stories about wayward teens go, writer-director Jason Orley’s debut is a sturdy, endearing portrait of youth in revolt that takes few surprising turns. But the two actors sell their dynamic well enough to inject the story with palpable authenticity despite the familiar premise. Read full review
70
TimeStephanie ZacharekMar 13, 2020
Davidson’s Zeke is one of those inexplicably winning losers with coolness in his bones. He just doesn’t know how to make it work in the real world. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayMar 12, 2020
It is funny and fast paced, with an outstanding cast, and Orley modulates the tone well, conveying both the fun and the danger of being young, impulsive and poorly supervised. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJan 29, 2019
Pete Davidson is so on-target you might forget all the lines he's flubbed on Saturday Night Live. Read full review
68
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiMar 16, 2020
It’s impressive to see Orley mask the shiny simplicity of Big Time Adolescence in finely-calibrated performances and observant, mostly realistic dialogue, but the disguise falls apart after a while. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubCaroline SiedeMar 10, 2020
A debauched but heartfelt coming-of-age story about impressionable teenage boys and the imperfect male role models who influence them. Davidson’s most important skill is his ability to share the spotlight and create real chemistry with his co-stars. Read full review
67
The Film StageJordan RaupFeb 4, 2019
As the fun hits a brick wall, the film doesn’t quite have the pathos of other coming-of-age stories like The Edge of Seventeen, more focused on selling the amiable, Superbad-esque hang out vibe that is so attuned to Davidson’s brand of comedy, but when it is time for some comeuppance, it’s easy to feel for both Mo and Zeke. Read full review
67
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodJan 29, 2019
Orley’s direction is fine, and the picture is well made for a low budget indie, but Davidson is all you’ll really remember when you leave the theater. And for many, that’ll be enough. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comNick AllenMar 13, 2020
Even when Big Time Adolescence starts to become ordinary, it always has a freshness from its on-screen talent, and from the promise of Orley’s directorial eye. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineSteven ScaifeMar 9, 2020
The film is at its weakest when it has to do drama, since the fallout of Mo and Zeke’s actions feels perfunctory and tossed-off in the rush to an ending, a hasty come-down after the proverbial party. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeMar 31, 2020
It’s a gentle, predictable film that doesn’t exactly put any steps wrong in its depiction of adolescence but Orley doesn’t quite do enough right for it to linger in the memory for longer than the credits. Read full review
60
VarietyOwen GleibermanJan 29, 2019
Big Time Adolescence isn’t bad, but it’s a trifle. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 23, 2020
Orley’s screenplay borrows from several sources and is never quite wrestled into the same shape as the legions of better movies on this boy-comes-of-age theme that preceded it. Read full review
50
Rolling StoneDavid FearMar 16, 2020
It’s the kind of film that works well if you don’t feel like getting off your couch. Zeke would definitely approve. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMar 16, 2020
As a comedian, Davidson's run on SNL has arguably seen him stagnate. At least here, derivative as it is, there's a sense that he's self-critically stretching himself, analyzing how he's getting by on his aging dude-bro charm. Read full review
50
The New York TimesKristen Yoonsoo KimMar 12, 2020
Despite some moments of tenderness and easy chemistry between Zeke and Mo, “Big Time Adolescence” doesn’t have enough heart or humor to save it from becoming just another movie about white dudes bro-ing out. Read full review
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