She's Funny That Way
Lionsgate | Release Date: August 21, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
14
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
CineVueJohn BleasdaleSep 2, 2014
It may be stuck in the past, with its hoary clichés about the call girl with the heart of gold and the incurable romantic, but the whole thing fizzes with such joie de vivre that the anachronisms only add to its overwhelming charm. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinSep 2, 2014
It’s a hysterical screwball fantasia that openly steals from Lubitsch, Hawks, Capra and Sturges and wants to be caught with its fingers in the till. The result is a highly-sexed Jenga-pile of silliness, to which Bogdanovich can’t resist adding block after teetering block. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineCarson LundAug 17, 2015
Familiar as its art/life paralleling may be, it's all fueled by a filmmaker with an intimate relationship to his subject matter. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyAug 19, 2015
Plotted as a round robin of dalliances and coincidences, it’s relationship comedy as weightless movement, meaning that something is always happening, but that none of it matters a damn bit. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyAug 21, 2015
Too many times the characters in this movie sprint across the line separating quirky charm from know-somethingish affectation, and then stay on the wrong side of it. Read full review
60
Time OutCath ClarkeAug 28, 2015
The ensemble cast is excellent: Rhys Ifans lays it thick on as a spiteful thespian who’s chasing Arnold’s wife, while Jennifer Aniston plays the world’s angriest therapist (Bitchy Is Beautiful is her new book). As a comedy of errors, this is fluffy fun, packed with in-jokes for the film lovers already in line. Read full review
60
Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekAug 18, 2015
There are some modest pleasures to be mined from Peter Bogdanovich's romantic caper She's Funny That Way, which at least strives for buoyancy. Read full review
60
VarietyGuy LodgeSep 2, 2014
An enthusiastic but low-fizz romantic farce that gets by principally on the charms of a cast speckled with gifted funnymen (and, more particularly, funnywomen). Read full review
58
The PlaylistJessica KiangSep 2, 2014
There are jokes that land, and every time Kathryn Hahn steps on screen the film threatens to tilt on its axis and point toward a truer north. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperAug 27, 2015
Strives hard to replicate the screwball comedy but ends up being a lot more screwball than comedy. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriAug 24, 2015
She’s Funny That Way often displays an old-school generosity and polish, and at least one breakout performance — but just as often, its moments of inspiration are tempered by miscasting and shrill attempts at humor. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerMolly EichelAug 20, 2015
A loving ode to screwball comedies from the Golden Age of Hollywood that never approaches the films it pays homage to. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleAug 20, 2015
It’s an elaborate and artificial concoction, without any discernible ambition behind it. Read full review
50
HitfixCatherine BraySep 2, 2014
It's a film with one foot in the past, and that's not necessarily a criticism, but unless you're actually doing something interesting with your chosen nostalgic framework, it seems like a slightly artificial way to try to induce that Saturday matinee glow. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneySep 2, 2014
As gratifying as it would be to report that the effortless touch, the livewire rhythms and the sparkling wit remain in evidence, those qualities prevail only intermittently in this strained though mildly enjoyable ensemble comedy. Read full review
48
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeSep 2, 2014
The ingredients steadfastly refuse to whip up into the froth this film so clearly wants to be. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattAug 19, 2015
She’s Funny That Way is posted as a love letter to the classic screwball comedies of Hollywood’s golden age, but delivers ersatz Woody Allen instead; it’s like "Bullets Over Broadway" minus the mob plot and 90 percent of the charm. Read full review
40
EmpireIan FreerJun 23, 2015
Peter Bogdanovich's attempt to update the screwball of the Golden Age lacks the requisite elegance, wit and charm. Read full review
40
The GuardianPeter BradshawSep 2, 2014
Bogdanovich is a formidable figure, but with this movie he’s just coasting. He surely needs to find a screenplay more attuned to his brilliance, rather than a derivative, low-octane comedy. Read full review
38
New York PostLou LumenickAug 19, 2015
A screwball farce that pulls off a pitifully low percentage of its gags, even with a star-crammed cast. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Nathalie AtkinsonAug 17, 2015
If anybody should know how to make a good Lubitsch farce, it’s Bogdanovich. Luckily, he already has: You should just watch his classic What’s Up, Doc? instead. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleAug 20, 2015
[It] is it all forced and regrettably laugh-free, despite the considerable energy the actors put into it. Read full review
30
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisAug 20, 2015
There’s barely a whiz-bang punch line or smoothly executed setup to be found in a movie that longs to be a sparkling bedroom comedy and winds up a tortured, fizz-free farce. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternAug 20, 2015
Dud notions abound. So do belabored situations, misguided performances and ritual salutes to other films. Even the cinematography is ill-advised, since it’s literally off-color; warm tones meant to evoke romantic feelings come off as a jaundiced homage to Woody Allen, from whom many of this film’s tropes have been not-so-piquantly purloined. Read full review
25
Portland OregonianJeff BakerAug 20, 2015
Peter Bogdanovich made a great screwball comedy. This isn't it. Read full review
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