Match
IFC Films | Release Date: January 14, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Village VoiceChris PackhamJan 13, 2015
Writer-director Stephen Belber's inspiriting, generous Match is so good that it's like some kind of trick. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesBill ZweckerJan 22, 2015
This small film (virtually all of it filmed in Tobi’s New York apartment) is a real gem. Stewart is the main draw and he doesn’t disappoint one bit. Gugino delivers a richly layered performance, tricky as the part calls for supreme subtlety. Lillard is a major revelation here. Read full review
75
New York PostLou LumenickJan 15, 2015
Patrick Stewart knocks it out of the park as a Juilliard School dance teacher forced to spill his biggest secrets in Match, which playwright Stephen Belber effectively directed and adapted from his own Broadway play. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyJan 15, 2015
Match has enough meaty and engaging character material to effectively sidestep the very theatrical contrivance of its plot premise, which does have a great deal of potential for reversal and counter reversal and indeed takes full advantage of that potential. Read full review
75
The PlaylistGabe ToroJan 14, 2015
This is Stewart's show, and it's a dynamite role for anyone, never mind the screen's beloved Professor Xavier. The actor slips away and Tobi ultimately dominates the screen to the point where you lose track of the film proper and become Tobi's guest. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJan 29, 2015
Match is no masterpiece, but it is an intriguing and entertaining example of actors lifting the material they're given to greater heights, with Stewart leading the way. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinJan 22, 2015
Captain Jean-Luc Picard would be enough for one lifetime, but given that Sir Patrick is now living out an exuberant second adolescence as a Brooklyn hipster and throwing himself into parts like these, it’s time to proclaim him another reason to love New York. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloJan 14, 2015
Drama is driven by conflict, but in this particular case it’s the calm between the storms that captivates. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineAbhimanyu DasJan 11, 2015
Patrick Stewart's performance is practically an argument for Belber to jettison everything else and take the actor on the road as a one-man spoken-word act. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanJan 15, 2015
These are the best moments, when Stewart and a wisely understated Gugino are free to enact their own wistful, beautifully intuitive pas de deux. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJan 14, 2015
While it offers some provocative moral quandaries, it serves mostly as a showcase for Patrick Stewart. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter DebrugeJan 14, 2015
Without sacrificing the piece‘s warm comic undertones, this minimally adapted theatrical piece remains richer and far more thought-provoking than a typical night at the movies — if only the entire cast were as strong as Stewart. Read full review
60
The DissolveKeith PhippsJan 13, 2015
Despite the sharp dialogue...and carefully managed dramatic rhythms, Match still can’t help but seem a bit cramped, particularly once the plot starts to take some predictable turns and the shouting starts. It’s a fine line that divides the intimate from the claustrophobic. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonJan 22, 2015
Stewart. His role is so juicy and he is so good that Lillard and Gugino just can’t keep up. Stewart fans should see the film just to see him cut loose in an arena outside the “Star Trek” and “X-Men” franchises. He is, in fact, unmatched. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleJan 14, 2015
Though the thin mystery at the center becomes a narrative albatross, and Lillard and Gugino seem hamstrung by the schematic nature of their characters, Stewart's melancholic electricity manages to maintain its appeal. Read full review
50
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergJan 13, 2015
The movie pulls the rug out from under the audience several times, but in the end there is not much underneath. Read full review
40
Time OutDavid EhrlichJan 14, 2015
As Match wilts into a trite portrait of people who are at the mercy of their pasts, Belber’s menagerie of inexpressive shots leaves his film at the mercy of its own. Read full review
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