Palo Alto
Tribeca Film | Release Date: May 9, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
25
Mixed:
8
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekMay 6, 2014
The movie perfectly captures the vibe of late high school, in a way that's both of its time and timeless. Read full review
91
HitfixDrew McWeenyMay 21, 2014
Palo Alto is the sort of debut picture that makes me eager to see how Gia Coppola is going to grow and change as an artist, but it's more than just a demonstration of potential. Read full review
90
The New York TimesManohla DargisMay 8, 2014
What tethers the movie and especially April and Teddy is how Ms. Coppola captures that exquisitely tender, moving moment between fragile, self-interested youth and tentatively more outwardly aware adulthood, a coming into consciousness that she expresses through their broken sentences, diverted glances and abrupt turns. Read full review
87
Film.comDavid EhrlichSep 16, 2013
Palo Alto is one of the best movies ever made about high school life in America (admittedly a low bar), blurring the lines between how unique it is to be a teenager, and how universal it is to feel like one. Read full review
85
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeMay 8, 2014
Coppola doesn't let these kids off the hook for their stupid decisions, of which they make many, but she's not judging them for their folly, either. Unchecked privilege and clueless parents are trotted out as part of the problem, but Coppola seems more interested in exploring human frailty and vulnerability than she is in digging for a social statement. Read full review
80
EmpireIan FreerSep 29, 2014
It might not feel fresh but Palo Alto feels real, honest and moving. An impressive debut by an exciting new talent. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenMay 8, 2014
With Palo Alto Coppola transforms weakness into strength, vulnerability into armor. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMay 8, 2014
Ms. Coppola, who is Francis Coppola's granddaughter, has made a coming-of-age film about a culture in which few people — adults included — ever grow up. It's essentially plotless and slowly paced, much like the recent work of her aunt, Sofia Coppola, but astutely observed, full of fine performances and ever so guardedly hopeful about April and the boy who adores her. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'HehirMay 8, 2014
A delicate tapestry of suburban gothic, romance and realism, with a surprising sweetness at its core and a wonderful star performance from Emma Roberts. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthySep 16, 2013
The best feature film directed by someone named Coppola in a number of years. Read full review
75
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallJun 11, 2014
The stories might work better separately as uninterrupted short films. Combined, they lack cohesion but suggest that Coppola has a fine framing eye and ability to guide actors to good work. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMay 16, 2014
Palo Alto may not be the most exciting film about high school life to come along in the past few years, but it is among the most honest and words like "pandering" and "insulting" don't apply. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy BurrMay 15, 2014
It’s a solid debut, and it gets to the heart of suburban adolescence in ways that slicker, more ostensibly mature movies don’t. That includes Aunt Sofia’s “The Bling Ring.” Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyMay 9, 2014
Palo Alto is a very strong first feature, prioritizing mood over message. Coppola does not diagnose underlying societal problems; she does not make assumptions about the cultural void in which the kids live. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversMay 8, 2014
A hypnotic movie of harsh truth and healing compassion. It sticks with you. Read full review
75
New York PostSara StewartMay 7, 2014
The result is a thoughtful, dreamlike (at times, nightmarish) tour through the day-to-day lives of several suburban California teens. Read full review
75
IndieWireEric KohnSep 16, 2013
Though it lacks a cohesive means of fusing together its interlocking vignettes, Palo Alto effectively showcases the despair and sophomoric rebellion of teen life with a mature eye that clearly establishes a new filmmaker to watch. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMay 29, 2014
The story has something of a flow, but the film feels more like someone dropping in on the characters' lives. It's more about observation than connecting dots. This isn't a detriment, particularly with strong performances to carry things along. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinMay 10, 2014
The most powerful aspect of this strange little movie is the sense that in an instant things could go very, very bad — even if they don’t. Palo Alto puts you on edge because it’s all dangerous corners. Read full review
70
The DissolveScott TobiasMay 7, 2014
The mimicry is so pronounced that it’s hard to locate a distinct, original sensibility beyond the film’s apparent influences. But talented young directors often need time to develop into singular ones, and there’s value in Coppola’s sensual, always-sympathetic feel for lost adolescents. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 16, 2013
While Palo Alto doesn’t seem to be saying anything new exactly, it boasts a clear and confident voice of its own, and it will be exciting to see where the young Coppola goes from here. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisMay 28, 2014
As lovely as it sometimes is, what this film needs is a little more shape and a little less ambience. Read full review
67
The PlaylistOliver LytteltonSep 16, 2013
Coppola's screenplay neatly restructures Franco's source material into a deceptively tight narrative, and mostly proves to be raw, authentic and often very funny. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMay 15, 2014
Palo Alto is a well-directed but relatively slight, only occasionally provocative and unremittingly bleak slice of life. Read full review
63
Washington PostStephanie MerryMay 15, 2014
Palo Alto starts strong but runs out of momentum. Strangely, as aimless vignettes give way to bigger life events. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith UhlichMay 10, 2014
Fortunately Coppola’s sensitivity is always evident, especially in the open-hearted performances she gets from Roberts and Kilmer (whose father, Val, has a funny, pot-addled cameo). Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanMay 8, 2014
Instead of falling into exaggerated exploitation, Coppola always stays true to the essence of adolescence — that sense of waiting, reacting and then waiting some more. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezJun 12, 2014
Palo Alto is a pale imitation of the early novels of Bret Easton Ellis, who wrote about young ennui and misdirection from the inside out. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianJeff BakerMay 30, 2014
Palo Alto is "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" without the wit; "River's Edge" without the depth. It's like reading a first novel by a talented writer who has something to say but isn't yet sure how to say it. Read full review
50
USA TodayScott BowlesMay 15, 2014
Palo Alto marks one of those rare films that is so accurate in its portrayal of characters that the movie suffers for it. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMay 15, 2014
Nothing in the story feels specific to that California city, or emblematic of it. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyMay 8, 2014
In distancing itself from its disaffected characters, Palo Alto evokes only more emptiness — and emptiness has a habit of being dull. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineJesse CataldoApr 24, 2014
It presents little that wasn't already done better in "Myth of the American Sleepover," an equally evocative tale of longing that was far more successful at matching teen tropes with atmospheric naturalism. Read full review
25
ObserverRex ReedMay 4, 2014
Mr. Franco must have had a very boring adolescence, because Palo Alto is a very boring movie. Read full review
More From This Movie

69 Critic Reviews

6.8 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL