Self Reliance
Hulu | Release Date (Streaming): January 3, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Slant MagazineRoss McIndoeJan 5, 2024
There’s never any danger of Self Reliance’s reach exceeding its grasp, but it gets a firm handle on the things it does want to achieve: tell good jokes, craft likeable characters, and strike a lighthearted tone that’s always just a little bit odder than you may be expecting. Read full review
75
The PlaylistJason BaileyMar 17, 2023
Johnson and Kendrick are just terrific together — ample chemistry, excellent comic byplay — and the sense of play, the feeling of one-upmanship in their scenes together, immediately cranks the picture up a notch. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonJan 11, 2024
For a movie with such a nose for nuttiness, its human element is genuine and warm. Read full review
70
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiMar 29, 2023
Self Reliance doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it’s exactly the kind of directorial debut one would expect from Johnson — and he certainly delivers a wild, energetic, funny story that still works despite a lukewarm ending. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeMar 17, 2023
Johnson delivers a silly and frequently surprising why-we-need-people parable that leans on laughs in lieu of peril. Read full review
67
The Film StageJake Kring-SchreifelsMar 21, 2023
This is a sure-handed debut with a reliable group of actors. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comClint WorthingtonJan 9, 2024
It’s a little too “Garden State” in places, but Johnson smartly puts a grim enough layer on their dynamic to avoid turning the whole thing into a treacly rom-com. Read full review
60
IGNErik AdamsJan 18, 2024
Self Reliance's comedic riff on The Most Dangerous Game benefits from writer-director-star Jake Johnson’s extraordinary ability to commit to a bit – but it's lacking a sense of danger. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeMar 17, 2023
Self Reliance fares better when it plays up its fictional reality TV show. Johnson flexes his familiarity with the landscape and its mechanics. Read full review
58
IndieWireRafael MotamayorMar 17, 2023
The problem is that, while Johnson crafted a good script that balances multiple tones, his directing isn’t as confident in that tightrope. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonJan 11, 2024
This is one of those projects in which everyone on set seemed to have fun making a movie. That joy comes through, even if the finished film induces a good-natured shrug. Read full review
50
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJan 11, 2024
The movie is too juvenile and too timid to acknowledge the real-world chill of its online cabal of murderous social misfits. Read full review
40
Paste MagazineBrianna ZiglerJan 11, 2024
The premise is also genuinely neat, a fun, breezy little 90-minute high-concept that unfortunately sounds more propulsive and invigorating than it really is. Read full review
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