Magic in the Moonlight
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: July 25, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 40 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
16
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
EmpireIan NathanSep 15, 2014
Weightless, but not without its enchantments, this is Woody Allen coasting. But where better to coast than the loveliest coast of all? Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierJul 24, 2014
Stone, last seen in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” is served best. Gliding through the film in sailor-girl outfits that evoke film stars of the 1920s, Stone’s big kewpie eyes and long-limbed gamine appeal fit in this era of silent films. Read full review
58
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallAug 13, 2014
It feels like a rush job, needing another draft or two for cohesion's sake, or for Allen to decide what sort of story he's telling. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianMarc MohanAug 7, 2014
Stage magicians often depend on sleight of hand to succeed at their art, but Woody Allen's new movie, Magic in the Moonlight, is just plain slight. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubBen KenigsbergJul 23, 2014
Firth and Stone are terrific, but they’re cast as screwball leads. Given only intermittent opportunities for levity, the two end up serving as mouthpieces for Allen’s dubious self-justifications. Read full review
58
IndieWireEric KohnJul 18, 2014
Magic in the Moonlight belongs to the pool of lesser Allen comedies, yet Firth and Emma Stone — as the alleged necromancer Sophie Baker, the object of Stanley's scrutiny and eventually his affections — bring all the zany energy they can muster. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaAug 1, 2014
For all its visual delights, Magic in the Moonlight, the 44th feature written and directed by the admirably industrious Woody Allen, has to be one of his bigger duds. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrJul 31, 2014
Above all, it is predictable. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinJul 28, 2014
It starts off with a flourish and winds up limp, like a rabbit pulled out of a hat that turns out to be dead. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJul 24, 2014
Firth and Stone, appealing as they are as actors, are so disconnected as potential romantic leads it sometimes appears as if they’re barely in the same scene together. Read full review
50
HitfixDrew McWeenyJul 22, 2014
There's plenty of potential there for really sharp comedy, but Allen's script just lobs softballs. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineDavid Lee DallasJul 21, 2014
A film of obvious characterizations and even more obvious plot machinations that render its moment-to-moment charms moot. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiAug 6, 2014
Those expecting a charming bonbon à la Midnight in Paris may wish to lower their expectations. Magic in the Moonlight’s story is exceedingly threadbare, a first draft that never got fleshed out or tightened up. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicKerry LengelJul 31, 2014
Representing the 78-year-old writer and director at his perfunctory worst, Magic in the Moonlight is an unfunny, unromantic comedy. Read full review
40
SalonAndrew O'HehirJul 24, 2014
Maybe that pictorial pleasantness will distract summer moviegoers from the fact that shot-to-shot transitions are often awkward, dialogue scenes are forced and poorly staged and that even by rom-com standards the obstacles created to keep Sophie and Stanley apart until a respectable running time has elapsed are idiotic. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyJul 17, 2014
Magic in the Moonlight does have a not-disagreeable expensive-vacation vibe to it. But the one-dimensional characters are mostly ones you’d want to avoid rather than spend a holiday with. Read full review
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