The Romantics
Paramount Famous Productions | Release Date: September 10, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
43
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
16
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
New York PostKyle Smith
The Romantics isn't as consistent or as well-rounded as its parent, "The Big Chill," or as entertaining as its less literate but more extroverted cousin, "St. Elmo's Fire," but with its tart dialogue and its perfect ending, it is sensitive as well as sagacious. It's a rare combination. Read full review
60
Time OutJoshua Rothkopf
It ends where you want it to begin. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazineSteve Ramos
(Holmes) fails to deliver requisite laughs to keep the comedy afloat. Read full review
58
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
A little of this movie's preppy, whiny expostulation goes a long way. Read full review
50
Village VoiceNick Pinkerton
It is uncertain, though, how this material is served by disheveled cinematography, shooting handheld on the Hi 8 camcorder I had in high school, apparently editing on two VCRs, and flooding the mix with Forever 21 dressing-room music. Read full review
50
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
A middling little movie that tries to trespass on Bergman-Renoir territory and simply isn't adroit enough to pull it off, and because in its weaker moments it's overheated and silly. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Landing somewhere between a generational comedy and soap opera, the film is forgettable fun. Read full review
50
VarietyDennis Harvey
While in some ways an improvement on the book, this seriocomedy toplining Katie Holmes remains short on truly involving characters or situations, and is likely to spark unflattering comparisons to such vaguely similar, more distinctive films as "Rachel Getting Married" and "Margot at the Wedding." Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
It's hard to care about people this generic - even when they're naked. Read full review
50
The New York TimesStephen Holden
The other alumni, played by Malin Akerman, Adam Brody, Jeremy Strong and Rebecca Lawrence, are given such short shrift that they come across more as sarcastic commentators than as characters. Read full review
50
SlateDana Stevens
Though the movie never overcomes the miscasting of its lead couple, The Romantics does show a surprisingly fine authorial touch. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
The Romantics can be charming, and Holmes tackles her meatiest role since the superb "Pieces of April." But the script fails to establish the likability of any of the main characters, which dulls the sense of urgency during the dramatic moments. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Clumsy camera work adds to the pre-wedding jitters in writer-director Galt Niederhoffer's pashmina-thin drama about attractive self-congratulatory Yale alumni gathering for the nuptials of two of their own. Read full review
40
MovielineEric Hynes
The mannerisms and phrasings that Holmes mimics - call it strenuous naturalism - are so recognizably Cruise that instead of establishing Laura's inner conflict she lets the strange life of Katie Holmes (Scientologist starlet, Suri momma, and Cruise-candy) slip onto the screen. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesGary Goldstein
This sour spin on "My Best Friend's Wedding" (crossed with a pale dose of "The Big Chill") proves unsatisfying not only because of its unlikable characters and often contrived conflicts but for the thoroughly implausible bride and groom at its core. Read full review
40
NPRIan Buckwalter
Will Tom choose the woman before him, or the maid of honor just a few feet behind? Unfortunately, given barely any idea of who these people are beyond their contrived literary inclinations and impeccable fashion sense, it's hard to muster much emotional investment in the decision. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
It's a shame, but perhaps no surprise, that Niederhoffer was unable to transfer her astute vision to the big screen. Read full review
38
USA TodayClaudia Puig
The Romantics is a misnomer. "The Spoiled Melodramatics" would be more accurate. Or better yet, "The Pretentious Ones." Read full review
25
Rolling StonePeter Travers
I wanted Paquin, who deserves better than this, to call on her vampire pals from "True Blood" and yell, "sic em!" Oh wait, they're already bloodless. Read full review
25
ObserverRex Reed
Instead of originality, The Romantics recycles the same material with a lot of noise masquerading as style, and no substance whatsoever, producing a grotesquerie of caricatures from central casting that are dead on arrival. Read full review
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