Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

  • Starring: Billy Crudup, Mandy Moore, Tom Wilkinson
  • Summary: Dedication is a modern love story in which the misanthropic, emotionally complex author of a hit children's book series is forced to team with a beautiful illustrator after his best friend and creative collaborator passes away. As Henry struggles with letting go of the ghosts of love and life, he discovers that maybe all it takes is a little dedication to find love. (The Weinstein Company) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 19
  2. Negative: 5 out of 19
  1. Reviewed by: Joshua Katzman
    80
    Actor Justin Theroux makes an impressive directorial debut, aided by David Bromberg's mordantly funny dialogue.
  2. 75
    A pleasingly weird, dryly funny little indie.
  3. Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    60
    Directorially, Dedication is a bit of a mess, unable to settle on a tone or visual style. But it leaves you wishing the oddball couple well.
  4. It's a romantic comedy, though neither funny nor romantic. It's a ghost story, though not scary. It's a satire about publishing, but without teeth.

See all 19 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. ChadS.
    7
    When South African novelist Doris Lessing("The Golden Notebook") won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007, Erica Jong, author of "The Fear of Flying", wrote that "they could have given it to Philip Roth for paeans to his penis," which brings us to "Dedication". Henry Roth(Billy Crudup) is celibate(when he's not careful, he leaves a human stain). He writes children's "literature". Lucy Reilly(Mandy Moore), an illustrator by default, entered the profession after she outlived her usefulness as a self-important thesis adviser's muse. Reilly shares the same surname as Valerie Martin, the author of "Mary Reilly"; the lesser Reilly, a PhD candidate for English literature, wanted to distance herself("as far as possible," she tells Henry) from the world of important books. Another name with literary allusions, another inside joke, "Dedication" is funnier than you think. In children's literature, the target demographic tends to be more scrutinizing about pictures than words. Henry is disposable. His maladjusted persona seems better fitted for a man who writes real literature. All that neuroses is wasted on a beaver named Bucky. Henry's machismo and hubris seems disproportionate to his literary talent. "Dedication" is "Pollock" of a lesser god. For sure, he's Roth of a lesser god. Lucy, formally trained in uncovering meaning behind objects, will have no problems figuring out the root of beaver. Expand
  2. JayH.
    5
    This movie is slow as molasses. The performances are appealing and the cinematography is attractively done, nice score and editing, but the writing was uninspiring and tedious. Expand

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