55
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterAn edgy entertainment, the movie also remarkably has the feel-good warmth of an old-time Irish film.
- A dark and lovely drama about the complications of human connections that is Michael Keaton's impressive directing debut.
- 90The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisThe film’s title, needless to say, has an ironic bite. One of the pleasures of The Merry Gentleman is Mr. Keaton's commitment to that bite, which never registers as cruel or gratuitous, just honest, weary, sad.
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertOriginal, absorbing and curiously moving.
- 70VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyDespite its shortcomings as a plausible, compelling story, The Merry Gentleman, Michael Keaton's directorial debut, exhibits genuine promise behind the camera.
- 67The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinIf ever a film needed a double shot of espresso and a swift kick in the caboose, it's this one. At best, the film is hypnotic; at worst, it challenges--no, dares--audiences not to fall asleep.
- 40Village VoiceVillage VoiceKeaton, who took over directing duties from ill-stricken screenwriter Ron Lazzeretti before shooting started, inherited a stock-still story of two lonely souls and never develops their rapport.
- 38New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithThe potential for suspense is dropped (there's a subplot about the receptionist's flight from her violent husband, but he appears in only a couple of scenes) in favor of lots of hushed interludes in which nothing happens.
- 33Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumThis Debbie Downer of a drama is a bitter slog.
- 30Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMs. Macdonald works modest wonders within these constraints -- she's a lovely actress, and a skilled one -- but too much is asked of her; Kate's innocence finally wilts beneath the camera's fixed gaze.