The Pretty One
Dada Films | Release Date: February 7, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Slant MagazineChuck BowenFeb 2, 2014
The film is a quiet, tender triumph that leaves you feeling as if you've been embraced without you feeling had. Read full review
75
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezJan 17, 2014
A genuinely sweet, charming and funny tale of identity lost and found. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAaron HillisFeb 4, 2014
Kazan holds together a decent coming-of-age script that's emotionally sincere if tonally unfocused. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireFeb 7, 2014
You wish the material were more consistent for these two. Some moments are screechy, others aren't deeply emotional enough. The in-between moments in which LaMarque hits just the right note can be charming, though, and they promise better things to come. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierFeb 6, 2014
This eerily unsettling indie takes a few pleasantly unexpected turns before winding up in a traditional place. But if you think it isn’t worth the time, you have another think coming. Read full review
60
Time OutJoshua RothkopfFeb 4, 2014
LaMarque foregrounds her scenario’s awkwardness—it never quite feels like a comedy—and the pair of male suitors she brings in (Jake Johnson and Ron Livingston) are, refreshingly, as unfixed as her main character. But you still wish Kazan had more to work with. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianMarc MohanFeb 13, 2014
Overall, The Pretty One suffers from excessive, unfocused quirk and a predictable sitcom resolution. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleFeb 20, 2014
Had the movie itself been more focused as a story of messy loss — and not played tonal Twister with its high concept — it might have better served its freshly oddball lead. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoFeb 20, 2014
Tonal inconsistency is the iceberg that sinks The Pretty One. The film is a mashup of wacky comedy, romance and sorrowful elements that would tax a more seasoned filmmaker than first-time writer-director Jenée LaMarque. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. ScottFeb 6, 2014
The Pretty One is intermittently charming, occasionally touching and entirely lacking in credibility. Read full review
50
New York PostSara StewartFeb 6, 2014
The Pretty One does find a handful of genuinely sweet moments in which Basel and Laurel bond on letting their respective freak flags fly. Like the film itself, Kazan is at her best when she’s not trying so hard to be cute. Read full review
50
ObserverRex ReedFeb 5, 2014
The good twin/bad twin conceit in 2014 doesn’t have a shred of the original surprise, and Zoe Kazan doesn’t have the chops to carry it off anyway. Read full review
50
The DissolveMike D'AngeloFeb 4, 2014
All in all, The Pretty One is too lightweight to justify such a disturbing act of reinvention. Read full review
37
Washington PostStephanie MerryFeb 20, 2014
For all its intimations about finding one’s true self and the complicated setups for a big misidentification, The Pretty One is just another romantic dramedy. Read full review
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