Kelly & Cal
IFC Films | Release Date: September 5, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
6
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Entertainment WeeklyKaren ValbySep 3, 2014
The biggest takeaway from Kelly & Cal, a wonderfully honest and tender film about the bitter pill of adulthood, is Hollywood's criminal underuse of Juliette Lewis. Read full review
80
TheWrapTodd GilchristAug 22, 2014
It's a film that takes its characters and their crises seriously, allowing them to fully explore their situation before providing them (and the audience) a genuine roadmap for finding their way through. Read full review
80
VarietyGeoff BerkshireAug 22, 2014
This disarming pic navigates tricky emotional territory to emerge as an impressive feature debut for helmer Jen McGowan and scribe Amy Lowe Starbin. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniSep 12, 2014
For all its frank sexual language, Kelly & Cal is hardly revolutionary or shocking. It drags in the second act and has an ending so obvious, you can smell it from the opening scene. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenSep 18, 2014
Written by Amy Lowe Starbin and directed by Jen McGowan, both first-timers, the feature is alive with interactions that feel spontaneous. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen HoldenSep 4, 2014
The performances of Ms. Lewis and Mr. Weston crackle with authenticity. Like a good punk-rock song, this bracingly honest, tough-minded vignette stays true to itself. Read full review
70
Village VoiceSerena DonadoniSep 3, 2014
Amy Lowe Starbin's script offers a welcome directness and some sly observations about acceptance and compromise. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesBruce IngramSep 27, 2014
It’s easy to see how an unhappy transition to suburban mommyhood might be enough to unhinge any self-respecting former punk rocker but, even so, it’s a little hard to take the angst-ridden mid-life shenanigans in Kelly & Cal seriously. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicPenny WalkerSep 25, 2014
There are complex situations, well-acted characters and a central relationship that feels authentic and mature — and yet it's missing some element to bring it fully into focus. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeSep 4, 2014
The picture would go nowhere without the friendly chemistry between Lewis and costar Jonny Weston, as the wheelchair-bound high schooler who charms her. If young mothers had any time to go to movies, this one might draw them in droves. Read full review
60
The DissolveMike D'AngeloSep 3, 2014
Kelly & Cal is worth seeing, if only because it gives Lewis her first truly meaty role in years. Read full review
50
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezSep 4, 2014
Frustratingly uneven, Kelly & Cal is too glib and prosaic to truly be insightful or impacting. Read full review
50
New York PostSara StewartSep 3, 2014
Kelly & Cal is at its best when focused on Lewis and Weston. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanSep 4, 2014
This uneven directorial debut from Jen McGowan is notable mostly for a nicely understated turn from Juliette Lewis. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineChristopher GraySep 1, 2014
A romantic drama complicated by a stroller and a wheelchair, and its first mistake is in assuming some kind of equity between the two vehicles. Read full review
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