Irrational Man
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: July 17, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 43 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
18
Negative:
9
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
EmpireIan FreerSep 8, 2015
A thriller in the key of Woody. The “same old, same old” but still entertaining. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonDave CalhounSep 8, 2015
There’s something sloppy and sluggish about ‘Irrational Man’, even by Allen’s patchy standards. Read full review
60
Time OutDave CalhounJul 21, 2015
It all feels pretty familiar: the tortured genius, the younger woman, the plot taking a suffocating turn, murder as an existential debate, the world increasingly closing in on our antihero. But there’s something sloppy and sluggish about Irrational Man, even by Allen’s uneven standards. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinJul 17, 2015
Woody Allen’s philosophical thriller Irrational Man is irrationally entertaining. It shouldn’t work. It’s laughably plotted and sketchily written. Intellectually, it’s jejune — or at least high in jejunosity. But if you can manage to keep your eye-rolling in check, you might find yourself getting into it. Read full review
60
The New York TimesManohla DargisJul 16, 2015
The horror of where rationalism can lead (the death camps, for one) hangs over Irrational Man and helps hold you as does Mr. Phoenix, even with some bad writing and Mr. Allen’s narrative laxity and lack of interest in how real people live. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyJul 27, 2015
Allen isn’t completely on autopilot here. There are a couple of sharp, sting-in-the-tail twists near the end, and Phoenix is at least interesting. But Irrational Man would be lesser Woody even if we hadn’t seen most of it before. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyJul 15, 2015
Though Irrational Man’s existentialist moral crisis is mostly hokum, the movie still has a whiff of charm, thanks to a handful of good one-liners, a little misdirection, and Phoenix’s off-kilter performance, which completely ignores the rhythm of Allen’s speech in favor of naturalistic mojo. Read full review
58
HitfixGregory EllwoodMay 18, 2015
His characters may spout Kant and debate the ethics of different human interactions, but it's only sugar coating on top of what is effectively a simple and familiar story. Read full review
50
Boston GlobePeter KeoughJul 30, 2015
In the end, this feeble effort remains tainted, however unfairly, by the creator’s personal life. Maybe Allen should have titled it “Rationalizing Man.” Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn HornadayJul 23, 2015
Irrational Man isn’t a comedy. There are, however, moments that invite rueful chuckles of recognition, especially when Posey’s character is giving Abe the business. She strikes a welcome madcap note in what is otherwise a series of bland medium shots of people talking. Read full review
50
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJul 23, 2015
Allen builds to a climax that is ridiculous and a comment on … I don’t know. Fate? Folly? There are plenty of both in Irrational Man, but they’re not often a comfortable mix. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJul 23, 2015
Irrational Man is full of holes. Abe's supposed to be a disillusioned activist, yet that side of him is so half-assedly developed, it's as if Allen himself didn't believe it. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJul 16, 2015
Ms. Stone is a consistent delight, whether thanks to or in spite of the script’s flirtations with self-parody. But Irrational Man isn’t funny either. It’s a Woody Allen film that the next one will make us forget. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 14, 2015
Only Posey lightens up and lights up Irrational Man, which, for all its hectoring faults, is still a “Woody Allen Film,” and thus not a total write-off. At least the Newport, Rhode Island and environs locations are fresh. Read full review
40
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottAug 6, 2015
For all of its faults, Irrational Man is a passable diversion at worst. While that's certainly not what Allen was aiming for, when you're talking about Woody Minor, it's enough. Barely, but enough. Read full review
40
The TelegraphTim RobeyMay 18, 2015
Allen has worked wonders in the past with superficially similar moral tales, but this one’s a sketchy rehash. Read full review
40
CineVueJohn BleasdaleMay 18, 2015
Both leads produce solid performances despite a sloppiness in both the direction and the writing. Read full review
40
The GuardianPeter BradshawMay 18, 2015
Irrational Man is a good idea, a sketch for a movie, but the movie itself is unrealised. Read full review
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