How I Live Now
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: November 8, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
15
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisNov 7, 2013
As sun-dappled infatuation abruptly crashes into post-apocalyptic survival, Mr. Macdonald struggles to balance a nebulous narrative on tentpole moments of rich emotional resonance. Read full review
60
The DissolveTasha RobinsonNov 6, 2013
Part of the point may be how trauma simplifies life by stripping away everything inessential, but just as there’s little satisfaction in watching Daisy pursue an unworthy goal, there’s little satisfaction in watching a specific, colorful, keenly felt portrait become such a familiar story. Read full review
60
Time OutJoshua RothkopfNov 6, 2013
How I Live Now goes to that nuclear nightmare, and Ronan, who can’t hide her smarts even when the role isn’t as good as the one she had in "Atonement," makes a feast of the journey. Read full review
60
Total FilmEmma MorganOct 5, 2013
An Arab Spring-y allegory with kissing cousins and a divine countryside setting, Kevin Macdonald’s fourth narrative film is an awkward oddity, as uncomfortable in its own skin as its protagonist. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonCath ClarkeOct 1, 2013
Kevin Macdonald’s slightly drab adaptation of Meg Rosoff’s popular teen novel would be nothing without Saoirse Ronan. Read full review
60
EmpireOlly RichardsSep 30, 2013
Macdonald's film is a noble stab at bringing Meg Rosoff's YA novel to the screen, which sees Ronan in typically watchable form. Read full review
60
The GuardianHenry BarnesSep 17, 2013
A gooey love story is pitted against the end of the world. No wonder the romance comes up wanting. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn HornadayNov 7, 2013
Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland,” “State of Play”) does a passable job of evoking post-apocalyptic atmosphere in How I Live Now, although the film suffers from uneven tone — is it a teen romance or wartime adventure? — and, ultimately, a regrettable lack of focus. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrNov 7, 2013
A meticulously observed, rapturously directed account of World War III and its aftermath as seen from the point of view of a spoiled young woman. The movie’s pretty fascinating before it goes bonkers. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsNov 7, 2013
Imagine a Judy Blume rewrite of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," and you'll end up somewhere in the ashen yet uplifting vicinity of How I Live Now. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChuck BowenNov 5, 2013
There are a few effectively disquieting sequences early on, but the film never recovers from director Kevin Macdonald's indifferent staging of a pivotal moment. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthySep 17, 2013
What starts as potentially interesting apocalyptic speculative fiction devolves into dreary sub-Hunger Games survivalism and banal teen romance. Read full review
50
Film.comJordan HoffmanSep 17, 2013
For every poignant moment there’s a gaudy dream sequence, wretched internal monologue, ham-fisted zoom or an exchange of dialogue sorely lacking nuance. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNov 8, 2013
A frosty-eyed, imperturbable actress in “Atonement,” “Hanna” and “The Host,” Ronan is at least able to sell Daisy’s new focus while the movie loses its own. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternNov 7, 2013
The production feels tentative and underpopulated: I thought not only of Katniss Everdeen but of the marvelous pandemonium in Danny Boyle's zombie epic "28 Days Later." Read full review
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