Father Figures
Warner Bros. | Release Date: December 22, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
22
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
3
Negative:
13
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
63
The Seattle TimesJohn HartlDec 21, 2017
Helms and Wilson are sometimes a stretch as brothers, especially in the more emotional scenes. But Close is majestic as the mother, a supporting role that feels bigger than it is. Read full review
45
IGNAlex WelchDec 21, 2017
Father Figures is a baffling film, one that never seems to ever get a handle on what it is or what it wants to be. It’s one thing to make a movie about characters stuck in arrested development, unsure of where they’re going, but it’s another for the writing and editing to also feel that way. In short, Father Figures is just a straight-up mess. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeDec 21, 2017
As the narrative limps along from one encounter to the next, a suspicion grows: Father Figures doesn't need to exist; but if it's going to exist, perhaps some sharper comedic talents could have developed it as a limited-run Netflix show, with each encounter developed as a half-hour episode. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzDec 21, 2017
Everyone here has been better, and funnier, in other things. This is a lazy story, wholly dependent upon the likability of its cast which, while considerable, isn’t enough to make it worth the trouble. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineEric HendersonDec 22, 2017
Father Figures, which finished shooting more than two years ago before spending endless months without a release date, is both meandering and bloated, suggesting the Frankensteinian result of brutal test screenings. Read full review
38
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiDec 21, 2017
The scenes are either too heavy (the climax is the downer of the year), too sedate or too gross. Read full review
33
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerDec 21, 2017
Its scenes aren’t really long or improv-heavy enough to qualify as rambling, but they’re often slow enough to qualify as excruciating. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerDec 27, 2017
One of the most inexplicably awkward comedies of the last few years. Read full review
25
RogerEbert.comNick AllenDec 22, 2017
Filled with insincere wackiness and sappiness, Father Figures never quite figures out whether it wants to be a raunchy, zippy road movie or a more dialogue-driven dramedy. Despite having no personality of its own, this movie just yearns to be recognized at all. Read full review
25
Movie NationRoger MooreDec 21, 2017
Wow. This is what comic purgatory looks like. Actors, trapped in a laugh-free road comedy called Father Figures — a paying (gullible) audience, slack-jawed in dismay, trapped there with them for two hours. Read full review
25
TheWrapRobert AbeleDec 21, 2017
Watching Father Figures is like finding a piece of food in the back of your fridge that you barely recognize, but know right away it’s not worth eating. Read full review
25
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerDec 21, 2017
The comedy is limp; a sentimental, existential ending is cut-rate and unearned. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleCarla MeyerDec 21, 2017
Wilson and Helms favor Bradshaw in likability. But they are not two hours’ worth of likable, in a film this flawed. Read full review
20
EmpireEve BarlowFeb 19, 2018
Limp jokes, bad chemistry and the least believable onscreen fraternal bond make for a very lacklustre viewing experience. Even a late appearance from Christopher Walken can't save the day. Read full review
20
VarietyOwen GleibermanDec 21, 2017
Father Figures...is a limply spritzing fountain of unconvincing (and unfunny) tricks out of the how-to-write-a-comedy-hit manual. Read full review
10
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergDec 21, 2017
Distinguished mainly by its overqualified cast and lack of inspiration, Father Figures can’t decide whether it’s a gross-out comedy or an uplifting tale of brotherly love; it embraces the worst of both worlds. Read full review
0
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshDec 22, 2017
Father Figures is a movie, ostensibly. I'm pretty sure it is. Moving images were projected, along with recorded sound, which indicates it is a movie, but the effect was so listless, low-energy and profoundly unentertaining that I jotted down in my notes "what even IS this?" It would be more accurate to describe the experience as a nearly two-hour borderline hostage situation, with torture involving bad, offensive and unfunny "comedy." Read full review
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