Look Both Ways
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): August 17, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
49
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
6
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperAug 19, 2022
Fueled by the smart and knowing script, the sure-handed direction and a true star performance by Reinhart, “Look Both Ways” is a comfort-viewing experience with authentic and likable characters. Read full review
70
TimeStephanie ZacharekAug 18, 2022
A filmmaker can do a lot with this Sliding Doors-style idea; there’s also plenty that could send it careering off the rails. But Look Both Ways has a mild sweetness that makes it go down easy. Read full review
60
Paste MagazineAurora AmidonAug 17, 2022
Look Both Ways feverishly whittles itself down to ensure that it keeps a wide berth from anything unsavory or controversial. The dishonesty that comes along with that timidity is a much tougher pill to swallow than the truths that might have arisen otherwise. Read full review
60
The GuardianAdrian HortonAug 17, 2022
Its affect is warm and reassuring, its methods for affirming that everything’s gonna be all right are cozy and tame, especially in regards to young motherhood. Read full review
50
VarietyCourtney HowardAug 17, 2022
While the filmmakers’ heads and hearts are in the right place with their resonant sentiments on taking risks and embracing fate, their execution of narrative basics proves lackluster. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleAug 17, 2022
Look Both Ways has a couple of things going for it, namely a compelling premise and the charm of Lili Reinhart (“Riverdale”) in the lead role. But the whole movie is a lie, and once you figure that out, the realization cuts into a lot of the pleasure. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayAug 19, 2022
It’s too facile to connect deeply. Everything in Natalie’s life is depicted on a surface level: motherhood, work, romance, friendship and even her passion for drawing. The differences between her two selves never seem too wide because both are barely rooted in reality. Read full review
40
Screen RantRachel LaBonteAug 17, 2022
Though leading lady Lili Reinhart does her best, Look Both Ways struggles to make a lasting impact with either of its dueling timelines. Read full review
38
PolygonJesse HassengerAug 23, 2022
Look Both Ways has nothing meaningful to say about any of the subjects it’s supposedly addressing. Even when the filmmakers get little details right (Natalie’s animation references are spot-on and very convincing), the movie is playing the supportive friend to its audience, patting viewers on the back and talking about how everything happens for a reason, and it’ll all turn out great. Read full review
33
The PlaylistMarya E. GatesAug 17, 2022
That this catastrophe is director Wanuri Kahiu’s follow-up after her sublime debut “Rafiki” makes it all the more disappointing. Where that film has rich characterization, this has generalities. Where that film has vibrant cinematography, this has dreadful, bland compositions. Where that film has a detailed sense of place, this film has a disjointed, geographically murky portrait of L.A. and what appears to be a sponsored by SXSW and Whataburger view of Texas. Read full review
30
The New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanAug 17, 2022
Never mind that Look Both Ways seems to posit that, for women, child rearing and a career are in relative opposition — when Natalie comes to a fork in the road, the movie hardly lets her look both ways. It bulldozes her down one path, and then the other. Read full review
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