Maladies
Tribeca Film | Release Date: March 21, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
28
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
0
Mixed:
5
Negative:
8
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
58
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloMar 20, 2014
All of the actors, including Franco, do excellent work, given the limitations imposed upon them by a scenario that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Were he a struggling up-and-comer rather than a movie star, the perception of an ambitious misfire like this one would probably be quite different. It’s not a good movie, but it deserves better than mockery. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyMar 21, 2014
Despite some game acting (and one truly superb moment from David Strathairn), Maladies remains on too low a boil to communicate any sense of stakes for the various characters. It seems to be trying to say something about creativity, and living one's life on one's own terms, but it's a muddle. Read full review
40
The DissolveChris KlimekMar 20, 2014
A ponderous, self-important character study swimming with red herrings. Read full review
40
Film.comJenni MillerMar 19, 2014
Maladies is at least watchable, though just barely. Read full review
40
The GuardianAndrew PulverJan 21, 2014
This is basically a studied and serious film, but there's a feyness to its tone, and a lethargy to its pacing that make it difficult to warm to, even if the principal actors give it their all. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineWes GreeneMar 17, 2014
It borders on parody as it tries to portray its hero as martyrdom-bound genius, which makes the film feel as if it was made by Franco's vain, art-fetishizing character from "This Is the End." Read full review
33
The PlaylistJessica KiangMar 19, 2014
It only ever connects in the small moments that fall through the cracks of the supposed formal and thematic experimentation—when the fine actors are allowed to walk and talk like real human beings, rather than a collection of tropes. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinMar 20, 2014
[A] tedious cinematic exercise. Read full review
30
Village VoiceInkoo KangMar 18, 2014
The social construction of illness is certainly a worthy topic, but Carter situates his characters far from any semblance of a plot and even further from his heart. Read full review
30
VarietyGuy LodgeJan 21, 2014
It’s hard for the audience to invest in a protagonist this solipsistic. Read full review
20
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJan 21, 2014
There’s scant emotional, aesthetic or intellectual gratification in this grainy, flat-looking portrait of the artist as a young nut job. Read full review
15
NPRElla TaylorMar 21, 2014
Along with the rest of the movie's fine cast, Franco presumably believes he is in the presence of art. Me, I know a fire hose when I see one. Read full review
0
ObserverRex ReedMar 19, 2014
Overrated, overexposed and overindulgent, James Franco is all over the place, like cow chips in the abandoned pasture of a derelict farm. Read full review
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