Jack Goes Boating
Overture Films | Release Date: September 17, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
It's the kind of story that can look pedestrian on paper, but when brought to life this skillfully, proves to be genuinely inspiring. Read full review
80
Boxoffice MagazineSteve Ramos
A specialty house crowd pleaser on par with their previous arthouse hit "The Visitor," and Hoffman should be prepared for another round of acclaim; except this time, admirers will be discussing his directing work. Read full review
80
Village VoiceDan Kois
Hoffman's directorial debut transfers to film the company's ethos of an ensemble performing with ruthless honesty encouragingly well. And that's why it's fitting that this drama asks so much of, and gets so much from, Ortiz. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
A quiet character study filled with damaged, insular people who live life in small increments, only occasionally exploding in emotion. Read full review
75
Orlando SentinelRoger Moore
A low energy romance, a movie that rewards a filmgoer with the patience to let this affair play itself out. Sink or swim, Connie and Jack will come out of this changed. And so will we. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The actors make it new and poignant, and avoid going over the top in the story's limited psychic and physical space. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
The ruefully funny Jack Goes Boating, which, refreshingly, takes a generous view of its flawed characters, is a must for us many Hoffman fans. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
The movie stays alert to the dreams and disappointments of four average people on an emotional roller coaster. It's a sublimely acted movie, hilarious and heartfelt. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A successful work of art. To see this movie is to feel that you've lived it. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Hoffman emerges as a confident film director with visual flair and, no surprise, a remarkable ability to maximize his fellow actors' work. Read full review
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Displaying a girth that will give hope to overweight romantics everywhere, Hoffman knows his character inside and out and invites the viewer close to this limited, good-hearted fellow. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Making his feature directing debut, Hoffman shows considerable generosity toward the other players, which was probably a good idea given his own listless performance as the mumbling title character. Read full review
70
MovielineStephanie Zacharek
The picture is well-crafted; it just doesn't breathe. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary Goldstein
Best appreciated for its sweet eccentricities (beginning with reggae lover Jack's would-be dreadlocks), optimistic outlook and authentic New York vibe, as much as for its commitment to being exactly what it is: an affectionate homage to working-class underdogs trying to carve out their own little corners of happiness. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
Jack Goes Boating tells a tender story reasonably well, but it rarely lets viewers feel the emotions instead of thoughtfully observing them. Read full review
63
USA TodayScott Bowles
Jack Goes Boating won't knock you over, but it lulls you with its slow-warming heart. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
This is one of those rare movies that genuinely likes its characters and wishes them the best; as agonizing as it can be to watch Jack fumble toward human connection, Hoffman knows the fumbling's the point. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
Like Ernest Borgnine, Philip Seymour Hoffman is an unconventional leading man with an Oscar on his mantle, and his bittersweet Jack Goes Boating has elicited comparisons with "Marty." Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
The performances are uniformly top-notch. It was a treat to see Ortiz, an actor known on screen mostly for his impressive cameos in movies like "El Cantante," in a leading part enabling him to express his considerable emotional range. Read full review
60
EmpireAngie ErrigoOct 31, 2011
Philip Seymour Hoffman puts his oar in with a tender, thoughtful adaption of Robert Glaudini's stage play. A little too measured to deliver an emotional punch, it's nevertheless beautifully acted and at times rather lovely. Read full review
60
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
If you fancy a modern "Marty," with the old warmth muffled by unfriendly snow, go right ahead. [20 Sept. 2010, p.121]
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Hoffman has a nice eye for detail, painting an empathetic portrait of lost souls that recalls 1955's still-powerful romance "Marty." Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
As is so often the case in modest, aimless little movies like this one, it is the acting that saves Jack Goes Boating from triviality or worse. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Jack Goes Boating barely stays afloat – it's a deep disappointment. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
All in all, Jack Goes Boating is an auspicious -- if slightly ostentatious -- debut by Hoffman, one of today's greatest actors. Maybe next time his performance in front of his camera will be as subtle as his performance behind it. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Ultimately, though, Jack Goes Boating is too much of a banal thing. Jack's a good guy, and you root for him all the way to the end, but, wistfully, that doesn't make him an any more interesting everyday Joe than he is. Read full review
40
Time OutAaron Hillis
Hoffman predictably knocks a familiar role out of the park (and just as unsurprisingly, wrings excellence from his performers) in this rather trivial, downbeat four-hander about a working-class couple trying to connect during a Gotham winter. Read full review
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