Paddleton
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): February 22, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
3
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyFeb 20, 2019
Thanks to two pitch-perfect performances, Paddleton is bittersweet and poignant beyond words. Read full review
90
VarietyNick SchagerFeb 1, 2019
A movie about cancer has no right to be as consistently amusing as Paddleton — a triumph for which credit should be spread around, even if it most deservedly goes to Ray Romano. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comMonica CastilloJan 30, 2019
Romano’s performance in Paddleton is an incredible work of humor. He creates a character capable of annoying anyone who’s just met him. Many of the movie’s funniest moments allow Romano to play this awkward being to his full, cringe-inducing potential. Read full review
85
TheWrapTodd GilchristFeb 22, 2019
Paddleton is quietly funny and full of compassion — the kind of movie that, much like its characters, feels likely to get overlooked or ignored but proves surprisingly rewarding once you make the effort to look past its surface. Read full review
83
ConsequenceClint WorthingtonFeb 26, 2019
Despite existing within the auspices of a predictable subgenre of indie film, Paddleton manages to affect and delight in surprising ways. Read full review
83
The PlaylistJason BaileyFeb 1, 2019
Paddleton is so busy not doing much, it blindsides you with its honestly-earned emotions. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleFeb 21, 2019
A surprisingly tender and humorous shuffle down a weighty road. Read full review
80
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottFeb 20, 2019
Like Paddleton itself, Romano's performance isn't flashy. It isn't dripping with self-awareness or desperation. Rather, it's quietly, subtly beautiful. And it deserves to be seen. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperFeb 27, 2019
Directed by Alex Lehmann with a deft and indie-casual touch from a script by Lehmann and Mark Duplass, Paddleton is a low-key, sweet and heart-tugging buddy movie. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloFeb 20, 2019
Paddleton takes its emotional cue from "Terms Of Endearment," expanding that film’s final stretch into an entire feature and replacing mother-daughter bonds with the deep but usually unspoken love shared by two male buddies. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckFeb 1, 2019
Paddleton sneaks up on you, wresting its way into your heart even while you're trying to resist its overly determined quirkiness. Read full review
67
The Film StageDan MeccaFeb 1, 2019
Despite a few key emotional moments, there’s not enough in the performance to fully engage from beginning to end. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshFeb 22, 2019
It's amusing but not a comedy, never losing its heart to irony or sarcasm. While Paddleton takes its time to get there, it ultimately reaches a deeply poignant conclusion. If you're patient enough, that alone could be worth the trip. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinFeb 22, 2019
The cancer-buddy movie Paddleton (which premieres today on Netflix) is embarrassingly bad until 20 minutes from the end, when it’s suddenly very good — quiet, tightly focused, stunning. It’s a pity that the first hour needs to be endured, but it does set the stage as well as soften you up for the indelible scene to come. Read full review
60
The GuardianHenry BarnesFeb 21, 2019
Duplass and his co-writer, director Alex Lehmann, deliver this strange concoction – an improv bromance mixed with a tragic love story – with delicacy. Read full review
50
The New York TimesKyle TurnerFeb 22, 2019
Paddleton is so keyed into its protagonists’ various idiosyncrasies that it seems hesitant to grapple with its own central tension. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineChuck BowenFeb 20, 2019
The film largely plays its scenario with a straight and gooey face, coaxing its actors to indulge their worst tendencies. Read full review
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