44
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70The Hollywood ReporterRay BennettThe Hollywood ReporterRay BennettA ramshackle but likeable story.
- By salvaging a troubled script with deep, committed, touching portrayals, Plummer and Walsh help prove Schroeder’s points about how Hollywood isn’t just the province of the rich, young and pretty.
- 60VarietyRobert KoehlerVarietyRobert KoehlerAs a showcase for rising young star Michael Angarano and Christopher Plummer, pic offers the pleasures of connecting Hollywood traditions and generations in the spirit of Peter Bogdanovich's films about and inspired by the movies.
- 60The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenMan in the Chair has few surprises. Once its machinery is humming, it settles into a soothing fable of a last hurrah.
- 50New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanWe'll overlook the clichéd predictability of their partnership and note that Plummer, and M. Emmet Walsh as his lonely friend, are a pleasure to watch.
- 50TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxWith its flashy, music-video style edits, rock-scored montages and septuagenarian cast, it’s hard to say who, exactly, is the right audience for this unusual comedic drama.
- Though they can't transcend writer-director Michael Schroeder's pointed contrivances, the actors tap into something achingly true in this valentine to Hollywood's below-the-line crafts people and society's castoffs.
- 40Village VoiceVillage VoiceWalsh and Plummer are obviously pros, and they hustle to put across some patently ridiculous business, but, well, it's true about the polishing thing.
- 38New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithIt's a cute idea that a better filmmaker than writer-director Michael Schroeder could have done a lot with.
- 38Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe movie works so hard at juggling its cliches that it fails to generate interest in its story.