Unexpected
The Film Arcade | Release Date: July 24, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattJul 28, 2015
Unexpected isn’t particularly interested in driving the plot forward or holding its leads up as avatars for a cinematic lecture on poverty and white privilege. Instead, it just lets them live and breathe and make mistakes — not for the aim of any greater message or grand epiphanies, but because that’s what people do. Read full review
83
IndieWireKate ErblandJul 22, 2015
Unexpected doesn't take such a rosy approach to its conclusion, however, preferring to leave things more up in the air, a narrative choice that is more contemporary in its telling and more genuine in its feel. Read full review
80
VarietyGeoff BerkshireJan 31, 2015
Swanberg and co-writer Megan Mercier have crafted an incredibly generous film that wears its heart on its sleeve but never feels sappy or even sentimental. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireJul 24, 2015
Swanberg finds a pleasingly low-key tone throughout the film, which (blissfully) is especially true during the kinds of moments that usually are played for wacky laughs in pregnancy comedies. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonJul 23, 2015
Although nothing really surprising happens (the film has no real plot twists), it’s natural and unforced, like real life. One can imagine that most pregnancies unfold like these, and Swanberg has crafted a universal story observed through small details. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJul 23, 2015
Smulders gives one of the most natural performances of her career, and Bean’s subtle, strong work announces her as a young actress to watch. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJul 23, 2015
The central relationship in Unexpected ebbs and flows, and even when you sense the edges smoothed over to the point of blandness, the actors keep it on track. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedJul 21, 2015
A sweet, honest, well-acted and carefully constructed little film that truly lives up to its title. Read full review
75
The PlaylistKatie WalshJan 31, 2015
Unexpected is sweet and the portrait of the friendship is lovely, but it also feels too slight. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJul 25, 2015
Smulders’s performance makes Unexpected more than worthwhile. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen HoldenJul 23, 2015
The nuanced performances of Ms. Smulders and Ms. Bean are flawless. Yet the movie’s calm levelheadedness is a subtle detriment. Everything is a little too easy. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJan 31, 2015
Swanberg and her co-writer Megan Mercier do an assured job of coaxing the minor-key humor and conflict gently from the naturalistic situations. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniJul 24, 2015
The chemistry between Smulders and Bean is simply terrific. Their performances almost save the film from its earnest, if bumbling, attempts to make a statement about the social, economic, and racial differences that divide the two characters. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 21, 2015
Mumblecore maven Kris Swanberg co-wrote and directed this, a film which could have used more sparks in the confrontations, more snap to the banter and more originality — start to finish. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenJul 23, 2015
A modestly scaled feature whose plainspoken sincerity is a hindrance as well as a strength. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghJul 23, 2015
Good for its uncommonly level-headed characters, less so for viewers watching a movie in which not much happens. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloJul 23, 2015
Its innocuous take on pregnancy is its most substantial flaw. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn HornadayJul 23, 2015
Unexpected would have been enriched by a more generous balance between the two characters’ worlds. But Swanberg shows a sure, sensitive hand in limning the upshots and downsides of life’s most blessed events. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChuck BowenJul 19, 2015
It suggests that Kris Swanberg has taken notes on what a film concerned with pregnancy should include without actually making it. Read full review
40
Village VoiceSimon AbramsJul 21, 2015
Unexpected isn't about, but rather a product of, class-based condescension in America. Read full review
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