One Night at McCool's
USA Films | Release Date: April 27, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
46
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
13
Negative:
9
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
63
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Neither as rollicking nor as wild as one had hoped, but Tyler's tongue-in-cheek noir goddess transcends cliche and the screenplay's other shortcomings terrifically.
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
It might have all seemed hip and edgy 10 years ago, but today, it just feels tired.
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
I took it as a pretty piece of ephemera, and I must confess that I laughed a lot.
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
All so fast and frenetic. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
A spirited, screwball crime-thriller with a sly heart. Read full review
60
New Times (L.A.)Gregory Weinkauf
While this production from Michael Douglas is being touted as a sexy romantic comedy, it's more precise to think of it as big loud fun for when you're feelin' dumb. Read full review
80
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Fun, if you're inclined toward cynicism, contempt, nihilism and cool stuff like that. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyJohn Patterson
The drawback is Tyler, who lacks the vigor and energy her part requires in order to transcend charges of misogyny. Read full review
20
Film.comGemma Files
Has its - very - occasionally funny moments, so does a car crash. Read full review
25
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Too bad you can see this sort of thing done more amusingly every week on ABC-TV and Comedy Central. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
One Night at McCool's does not quite work, but it has a lot of fun being a near-miss. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Never fully rises to the occasion, maintaining a goofily even keel throughout but rarely tipping over into all-out froth and nuttiness. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Goodman exudes doltish kindness, Dillon a hapless gentleness, Reiser a vulgar buoyancy. Douglas turns in the best performance. Read full review
63
USA TodayAndy Seiler
You may enjoy One Night -- but you may feel guilty about it in the morning. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
One Night at McCool's is one night too much. Read full review
90
TimeRichard Schickel
The smartest, funniest, most cleverly structured comedy of the year.
0
San Francisco ChronicleWesley Morris
A shamelessly dumb movie. Read full review
12
New York PostJonathan Foreman
A strong, early candidate for the worst movie of the year.
25
Entertainment WeeklyStaff (Not credited)
More than just dumb, the picture is embarrassingly dorky. Read full review
50
SalonCharles Taylor
Should have been a quick and dirty pulp tall tale. But it pokes along instead of accelerating, and though it isn't exactly smug it's rather too pleased with its own manufactured outrageousness. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Packs a lot into one night, but it's wearying. It's like a kid determined to show you every toy in his room, and there's nowhere to escape. Read full review
30
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Feels like a film from several years ago, one of the many made in the wake of "Pulp Fiction" that tried and failed to be as clever as its progenitor. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianTed Mahar
It is a brisk and sometimes bizarre comedy; funny, yet able to accommodate several sudden deaths comfortably.
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Maybe such cloddish sight gags as dipsomaniac priest chug-a-lugging from the communion chalice or an apparently straight-laced yuppie in full S&M drag just aren't very funny. Read full review
80
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
First-time feature director Harald Zwart has a real flair for farce, and he keeps the outrageous high jinks of the script lively yet grounded in reality. Read full review
30
Village VoiceDennis Lim
Oblivious to its own towering obsolescence. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
A curious screwball "noir," doesn't so much bend established genres as blend them into an unappetizing cocktail, where they curdle before pouring.
40
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Tyler, a true beauty, gives the role a valiant try, but her range is too limited to play this amalgam of female perfection. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
The story, which is even dumber than it sounds, is told in flashback. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Suggests a raunchier, cruder version of a Coen brothers comedy, but it's also a kind of honky-tonk "Rashomon."
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Zwart never gets the tone right in this very American comedy. Read full review
40
Mr. ShowbizCody Clark
As its plot is entirely negligible, whether or not you enjoy One Night at McCool's probably depends on how funny you think the performances are. Read full review
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