Chinese Puzzle
Cohen Media Group | Release Date: May 16, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
7
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Village VoiceHeather BaysaApr 22, 2014
With each of these movies, Klapisch reiterates a core sentiment behind all the romantic comedy: that lives are continuously pieced together, broken, and rearranged in different settings. All that screwing and screwing up in between? Totally necessary. Read full review
83
The PlaylistKimber MyersMay 19, 2014
What’s impressive is that despite the sometimes heavy subject matter—divorce, creative crisis and trying to find an affordable 2BR in New York City—Klapisch’s film is light and fizzy, set to a soundtrack of funk and salsa. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenMay 22, 2014
The ground-level view of New York — high-energy, semi-farcical — avoids clichés while finding its own romantic pulse with Duris' charmer the compelling center of the buoyant and bittersweet storm. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen HoldenMay 15, 2014
This warm-blooded paean to globalization is just enough in touch with reality to keep your eyes from rolling. For Chinese Puzzle genuinely likes people. It overlooks the faults and misbehavior of its eccentric characters to express a lighthearted optimism that doesn’t feel forced or manipulative. It is in love with life. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinOct 29, 2013
A pleasing walk in the park for all involved, not exactly profound, but appealing to both long term fans of the franchise and accessible to newcomers. Read full review
80
VarietyCharles GantOct 29, 2013
Bringing an appreciative outsider’s perspective to the sights, sounds and polyglot energy of New York, Klapisch and his collaborators ensure that the two hours whiz by decoratively and entertainingly. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesMary HoulihanJun 4, 2014
It goes down like a French pastry, offering no real value but looking good and satisfying a craving for something light and airy. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianJeff BakerMay 30, 2014
A little slapstick, a sexy twist, and we're all happy. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaMay 30, 2014
They're not exactly Richard Linklater's "Before" trilogy, but French filmmaker Cédric Klapisch's "Spanish Apartment" movies - 2002's "L'Auberge Espagnole," 2005's "Russian Dolls," and now, Chinese Puzzle - have their devotees, too. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMay 22, 2014
Klapisch still gets these characters to sneak up and make us care about them - though it might help if you remember them from when they were young. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineNick PriggeMay 11, 2014
Cédric Klapisch's film becomes an effervescent variation on the time-honored story of striking out for the American dream. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriMay 17, 2014
Chinese Puzzle isn’t much of a story, but in leaning into and embracing its complications Klapisch is able to isolate little instances — exchanges, glances, fragments from which he can mine profundity. That may feel like a cheat, but it isn’t, because this is a world where the moment conquers all. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleLouis BlackMay 28, 2014
A charming, rambling, modern romantic comedy is so sloppy that it should be done in by its excesses, yet the large, excellent ensemble cast manages to make it all work. Read full review
63
New York PostKyle SmithMay 15, 2014
Cédric Klapisch’s film is meandering and cutesy, but his characters are endearing and every so often he comes up with a deft insight, such as how this city’s streets are like a flayed zombie. Read full review
63
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMay 13, 2014
What holds our interest and holds the story together is this winning cast in these familiar, lovable (somewhat) roles. A dozen years on and this exercise in globe-trotting, in “We’re growing older, but not up” reminds us that what’s true in life is just as true in casting movies — pick your friends carefully enough and they’ll entertain you for a lifetime. Read full review
60
EmpirePatrick PetersJun 16, 2014
A satisfaction conclusion to the trilogy. Read full review
60
Time OutCarla SosenkoMay 13, 2014
There are sweet moments and callbacks to "L’Auberge," including a neat trick in which we see snippets from all three films in the credits, but ultimately Puzzle lacks the magic of its predecessors. Read full review
60
The DissolveNoel MurrayMay 13, 2014
What saves Chinese Puzzle—making it not just tolerable, but likable—is how well Klapisch uses New York. The movie embraces the whole city. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloMay 14, 2014
It’s the best of the trilogy, though that’s not saying much; Xavier and his gal pals have mellowed somewhat with age, and Klapisch seems much more energized by New York than he was by his previous locales. Read full review
50
Washington PostJohn DeForeJun 19, 2014
A reasonably diverting tale of pre-middle-aged floundering that can’t stop pointing out how unexpected everything is. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghJun 5, 2014
The script feels structurally inept, building up scenes and characters then cutting them off, never to be revisited. The end result is a film that feels full of staircases that lead nowhere. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanMay 15, 2014
It’s nice to see these characters again. But there’s an uncomfortable strain of bitterness running through the nostalgia. Klapisch is, for example, much kinder to his good-natured leading man than any of the ladies, who are by turns cruel, flaky and dishonest. Read full review
38
Boston GlobePeter KeoughMay 29, 2014
Puzzle is neither puzzling nor much fun. It reminds you how much better Julie Delpy told the same story in “2 Days in New York.” Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyMay 16, 2014
It’s lucky that Klapisch has an actor as disarming as Duris playing Xavier, or else the character would be completely insufferable, never mind just intermittently so. Read full review
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