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Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 26 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: Alan (Rice), a musician whose band has just broken up, shows up in New York to pursue his burgeoning rock and roll career. He starts by searching for a drummer for a show he’s already lined up, and otherwise goes about the mechanics of self-promotion. He finds a champion in Sara (Lee), a radio DJ who sets her sights on a submissive but uninterested Alan -- and finds him a drummer. In his down time, Alan drinks and strategizes with his old friend Lawrence (Bujalski), a grad student, and Lawrence’s girlfriend Ellie (Clift), a journalist. Alan endeavors to keep his shoulder to the wheel, while Ellie finds herself compelled by him. The attraction is mutual, but both parties are reluctant to take a next step. (Goodbye Cruel Releasing)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    100
    Andrew Bujalski's considerable gifts begin with his deep appreciation of the miserable, hilarious awkwardness of real life.
  2. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    100
    A marvelous, deceptively simple accomplishment shot on grainy 16mm film and featuring a cast of mostly nonprofessional actors delivering loosely written dialogue.
  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: G. Allen Johnson
    100
    Bujalski's writing is so good, and every shot and edit seems exactly right. Hopefully, there will always be a place for a film like this on a theater screen, no matter the whims of the marketplace.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 5 out of 12
  1. PhilipD.
    10
    This is a brilliant film.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. LukeJ.
    10
    Very fresh, very funny, one of the best of the year. It's the sort of experience you just inhale and then it stays with you afterward. The music is good, the acting is fine, but it's really the dialogue and story that stick. Great storytelling, one of the realest feeling films I've ever seen. Bujalski is a rising star, and it's clear the critics agree.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. JayC
    3
    As the director said, he prepared scenes, but they kind of let the "actors" decide. For a movie that relies so extensively on dialogue, this one seemed to be mostly uncommunicative. Confused, disconnected and pretty boring. Why would we care about these people's lives?… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 12 User Reviews