In Search of a Midnight Kiss
IFC First Take | Release Date: August 1, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Wonderfully romantic and romantically bittersweet. It's not about forever; it's about now. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
We increasingly admire the quality of the acting: Both actors take their characters through a difficult series of changes, without ever seeming to try, or be aware of it. Read full review
80
EmpirePatrick Peters
Lovingly photographed in a monochrome that recalls Woody Allen’s Manhattan, this is a slickly scripted rom-com. Read full review
80
Film ThreatEric Campos
The film also doesn't try to wrap things up nice and neat. That's not how life is and that's not how this film goes. But for those who can handle the truth, they should be prepared for a very moving experience. And Freddy Krueger references. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Smart dialogue, an impeccably crafted story, and eye-catching LA locations make this low-budget feature by Alex Holdridge the most worthwhile date movie I've seen in some time. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleJosh Rosenblatt
Holdridge is clever enough to keep his characters from slipping into outright narcissism, or when they do, he's familiar enough with the art of mainstream moviemaking to balance the exhausted with the ecstatic. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle Smith
Takes a bit of "Swingers" and a bit of "Manhattan" to create a slacktacular vision of uncertain youth in today's L.A. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
A romantic comedy with film noir shadows. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
With a moody overlay of songs supplied by Okkervil River and Shearwater, In Search of a Midnight Kiss also serves as a millennial's answer to Woody Allen's "Manhattan." Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter Addiego
It's a handsome and entertaining small-scale picture with nice acting, some crisp (and some crude) dialogue and effective direction. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill White
The rude naturalism of the opening scenes between Wilson and Jacob recalls the spirited vulgarity of "Clerks," with dialogue that would be hopelessly offensive were it not so funny and true to life. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterSura Wood
An amusing ensemble piece about the troubles of dislocated twentysomethings attempting to find their way through life and love. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis Harvey
Performances are aptly quirky and ingratiating, Holdridge's seriocomic balance nicely judged. But the most outstanding element in an accomplished low-budget package is Robert Murphy's lensing, which recalls "Manhattan" in its B&W celebration of a cityscape. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Profane, hilarious and ultimately heartbreaking, Alex Holdridge's black-and-white feature In Search of a Midnight Kiss has a gutter purity that makes you root for it all the way and forgive its patches of ultra-indie awkwardness. Read full review
70
Washington PostMike Mayo
Despite some scenes that have the feel of an acting or writing workshop, these are believable, complex characters. Their story has a full measure of Judd Apatow raunch, with a dash of "Swingers" emotional sweetness. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
Even when Midnight Kiss is sputtering, viewers can tune the dialogue out and just watch the scenery in one of the most "there"-y L.A. movies ever made. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianStan Hall
Very much a time-and-place film, by 2030 it will be useful fodder for historians. Read full review
60
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
In Search of a Midnight Kiss has its derivative moments along with awkward patches -- the inelegantly shaped climax tries to force uninteresting parallels between the two central couples -- it manages the difficult task of creating a sustained, plausible and inviting world. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
By the end, Holdridge has captured the bittersweet complexities of romance with a wisdom that proves surprisingly seductive. Read full review
50
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
In Holdridge's movie there is as much to repel as there is to allure, and I cannot imagine leaving a screening of it in anything less than two minds. Read full review
50
Village VoiceScott Foundas
Holdridge's film oscillates wildly between low-key romantic comedy and antic slapstick and doesn't always hit the mark, but it has charm to burn. Read full review
50
PremiereJenni Miller
The arc of the story mirrors "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset," but the writing isn't nearly as strong, nor the characters as believable -- or likable. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not credited)
Painfully undermined by its central characters. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesMark Olsen
If it were a parody of relationship-youth pictures, In Search of a Midnight Kiss would maybe be tolerable, but writer-director Alex Holdridge seems to be playing it with a straight face. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
It wanders and putters and follows its main characters around. Read full review
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