Georgia Rule
Universal Pictures | Release Date: May 11, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
25
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
9
Negative:
18
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Hector Elizondo, who has appeared in all 15 of Marshall's features, turns up as a Basque rancher and adds a bit of sparkle. I just wish Marshall's good luck charm was not a 70-year-old actor but a fresh, honest screenplay. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
The American public likes nothing better than a tragedy with a happy ending, William Dean Howells observed. But Marshall so cautiously downplays the tragic elements of his plot that the sweetness and light left a sour taste in my mouth. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A clunky family-therapy soaper. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
In the acting contest that ensues, each star comes off reasonably well, though, surprisingly, Lohan (who had well-publicized emotional problems on the set) wins out over Huffman's comic drunk and Fonda's leathery evocation of her father, Henry, in "On Golden Pond." Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Maybe Georgia Rule should be required viewing for Paris Hilton during her term in the slammer. But not for us. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
It's an interesting, maddening mess -- not a terrible movie, and by no means a dull one. Read full review
42
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
There's enough family dysfunction here to fill out a dozen soppy soap operas. Read full review
40
Village VoiceElla Taylor
There's almost no rescuing this wobbly movie from its showdowns and insights. Except, that is, when Lohan's around. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Never rings true. It's a dramedy whose blend of melodrama and humor is awkward and incongruous, leaping between the two modes like a fat frog jumping lilypads. Read full review
40
SalonStephanie Zacharek
[Georgia Rule] is clearly intended to be an uplifting multigenerational drama about abuse, healing and forgiveness. Yet there's something unsavory about the way it uses a character's emotional and psychological scars as a gimmick. Read full review
40
Film ThreatMichael Ferraro
Georgia Rule isn’t serious enough for a drama and not funny enough for a comedy. Read full review
38
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Spin it however they like, the troubled but talented Lohan isn't what's wrong with this misbegotten mess. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
Proves to be more prone to malfunction than dysfunction. Read full review
30
VarietyJohn Anderson
No offense to either of them, but Georgia Rule suggests an Ingmar Bergman script as directed by Jerry Lewis. The subject matter is grim, the relationships are gnarled, the worldview is bleak, and, at any given moment, you suspect someone's going to be hit with a pie. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesLael Loewenstein
Georgia Rule oscillates clumsily from shock to slapstick to schmaltz. The result of these big tonal swings is a cinematic strikeout. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderStaff (Not credited)
Another flabby big-screen sitcom from "Happy Days" creator Garry Marshall. Read full review
25
PremiereGlenn Kenny
And so it goes, leaving an awful taste and the inevitable question: Jane Fonda made a comeback to do dreck like this and "Monster-in-Law?" Read full review
25
USA TodayClaudia Puig
It tries to pass itself off as a film about feistiness, forgiveness and the bonds of motherhood. Instead, it deals lightly and inappropriately with promiscuity, alcoholism, drug abuse, grief and child molestation. Georgia Rule doesn't make you feel good; it makes you queasy. Read full review
25
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Georgia Rule is so artificial, it feels like more of a flow chart than a slice of life. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
The film is intended to be light and whimsical, but with a core of sincere emotion. But it's as if the thing were made by Martian anthropologists who assume that human audiences are as twisted as the people onscreen. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Misguided at best and repellent at worst, the movie has, ironically enough, a single asset: Lohan's performance as a rebellious, uncontrollable teen. Read full review
25
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
Fonda, playing grandmother to this clan of narcissists, is the only one who keeps her dignity. She's funny and low-key and deserves better comeback material than this and "Monster-in-Law." The other two actresses are humiliated. Read full review
25
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Garry Marshall has too much confidence that he can match the weighty issues here with the light comedy. He can't. Or at least he can't with this cast. Read full review
16
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Jane Fonda does an about-face on her persona and her talent, playing a teetotaler and, what's worse, a pious bore. Read full review
12
New York PostKyle Smith
WARNING: Do not take your mom to Georgia Rule unless she's Roseanne Barr. You may expect a three-generational chick flick, but what you get is a child-rape comedy. Read full review
12
Boston GlobeTy Burr
For proof that some actresses can take on a misconceived role and get out alive, there's Huffman as Lilly. Read full review
10
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Just what we need least: a warm family comedy about child molestation.That's Georgia Rule, which combines battleship actresses of the "Steel Magnolias" variety, fall-down-go-boom comedy that was obsolete in the '30s, Lindsay Lohan's cleavage and intergenerational fondling just for kicks. Read full review
0
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Certain words should be reserved for special occasions. "Abysmal" is one of them, and Georgia Rule is as special as such occasions get. Read full review
0
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Director Marshall ( Pretty Woman) has created a comic drama so confused in tone, the actors often seem to be acting in different movies. Read full review
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