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Ira & Abby
Metascore
62 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
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  1. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    80
    Not only delightfully funny but unaffectedly romantic.
  2. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    75
    The film may be slight, but it is not stupid, and director Robert Cary keeps both stickiness and shtickiness at bay.
  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    75
    Isn't as sharply directed as "Jessica Stein," but it's still a formidable crowd-pleaser.
  4. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    75
    Works its way under your skin, and then into your heart.
  5. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    75
    A similar blend of comedy and a grumbling skepticism about the essential goodness of human beings makes Ira & Abby feel, at times, like one of those great stage comedies of yesteryear transferred to the screen.
  6. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Bill White
    75
    Westfeldt's screenplay and Cary's direction combine to make it the best Manhattan love story since "When Harry Met Sally."
  7. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Jan Stuart
    70
    This round-robin of marital malaise has a lot more integrity than one might anticipate from its meet-cute beginnings.
  8. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Jeannette Catsoulis
    70
    Though playing at times like an extended sitcom, Ira & Abby radiates a breathless charm, due in no small part to Ms. Westfeldt's sharp dialogue and engagingly unmannered performance.
  9. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    70
    To do rough justice to this special treat in not much space, let me first stipulate that it evokes any number of Woody Allen films, thanks to its therapy-centric characters and its Upper West Side milieu.
  10. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Tasha Robinson
    67
    It's still a mixed bag with a lot of cutesy awfulness to wade through, but the acerbic ending is enough of a punchline to suggest that Westfeldt understands what a joke this kind of film can be.
  11. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Connie Ogle
    50
    Neurotic New Yorkers, messed up relationships, inept analysts, infidelity -- Ira & Abby has them all, and it's anything but refreshing to trudge through this well-worn territory again.
  12. Variety
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    50
    Starts off deliriously, is derailed into reality, and finally settles into something in between.
  13. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    50
    It's all too zany and madcap and Woody Allen-redux to be remotely credible, but Ira & Abby turns out to be witty and winning, in large part because of its cast.
  14. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Julia Wallace
    40
    The overall effect is that of an aging vaudevillian making a good-hearted but embarrassing attempt to entertain us with stock characters and stock jokes and stock shtick.
  15. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    38
    A stale rehash of Woody Allen-style "he's a neurotic Jew, she's a flaky shiksa" gags.
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. JanschieDavie
    7
    Preposterous start that steers into realms of sitcom reality as the movie progresses. The cast is winsome although without any deep believability or motivational foundation. It is too long at the start and too short at the end. Yet, it has something that connects in an over-the-top way. Not for everyone. Maybe for lonely hearts looking for answers without answers.… Full Review »
  2. jayb
    5
    Terrific cast and some winning performances, but this movie fails to entertain because of sometimes-inept dialog and a confused plot that strains credulity way past the breaking point and finally lurches to a completely unconvincing and unsatisfying halt.… Full Review »
  3. KenG
    3
    A wanna-be Woody Allen type movie, but maybe only Woody Allen, can do "Woody Allen" well. Just not funny, witty clever, or insightful enough to make it worthwhile. And neither of the leads are all that good. The male lead in particular, seems miscast.… Full Review »
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