Come Early Morning
Bold Films | Release Date: November 10, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
4
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The baby-voiced costar of "Chasing Amy" proves an effortless filmmaker, turning Lucy’s journey into the awakening of a soul. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Adams has a good camera eye and a fine feeling for the regional mores of the South, where she's from. Judd, who for a change isn't being terrorized in a thriller, is more nuanced and intense than she's ever been. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
"Chasing Amy" star Joey Lauren Adams makes a competent, tender writing and directing debut with Come Early Morning, but the film is still entirely in Judd's hands. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Both Adams and Judd have been let down by Hollywood. Here they have the freedom to express their uniquely Southern takes on music, faith, family and femininity. This intensely personal film may not bring either of them widespread acclaim, but it's a small triumph nonetheless. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
The kind of small gem that's becoming increasingly rare in American films. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Nothing much happens on the surface, but worlds of hope, hurt and determination lie right behind the characters' eyes, waiting to be discovered. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
A simple story yet told with such conviction, delicacy and instinct for truth that it carries keen emotional power. This is the first film from actress Joey Lauren Adams, so one can only hope she has more stories inside her for she has genuine storytelling talent. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
No new narrative ground is broken, but there's a lived-in, musical feel to this tale of a fiercely independent, thoroughly screwed-up building contractor (Ashley Judd, in a pleasing return to the directness of her first significant role, in Victor Nunez's "Ruby in Paradise"). Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesLael Loewenstein
Falls prey to bits of psychoanalytic shorthand and narrative predictability, but it offers the rare, meaty role for an actress in her late 30s. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
The plot points verge on the familiar and obvious, but Adams's work with the actors (especially Judd and among the others Jeffrey Donovan, Diane Ladd, Tim Blake Nelson, and Scott Wilson) is so resourceful and focused that she makes them shine. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneJessica Reaves
Artfully shot and excruciatingly honest, the movie has great intentions but can't quite overcome its outsized sense of self-importance. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
An incisive but static and occasionally confusing character study of Lucy Fowler, a disheveled, hard-drinking single woman who has a day job as a contractor and a dissolute night life. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
The script is somewhat predictable and the pace is leisurely, but Ms. Judd makes Lucy's choices seem momentous, and Ms. Adams gives us several beautiful scenes.
50
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Despite her (Judd's) efforts and those of a generally talented cast, picture just pokes along and offers nothing out of the ordinary in terms of drama, characterization or insight. Judd's presence notwithstanding, this one would be more at home on small than on big screens. Read full review
50
Village VoiceRob Nelson
Judd's typically lived-in performance and the authentic Arkansas locations -- cramped bars, dusty roads -- help vaguely distinguish a movie that comes on like a minor-key reprise of Judd's breakthrough "Ruby in Paradise" and every other rural indie melodrama to grace Sundance since. Read full review
20
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
The end result is stale, clumsy, and about as compelling as an average episode of "As the World Turns." Read full review
More From This Movie

64 Critic Reviews

7.5 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 71 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL