Runner Runner
Metascore
36

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 31 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 31
  3. Negative: 11 out of 31
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  1. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Liam Lacey
    Oct 5, 2013
    38
    Runner Runner is a bad run of cliché clichés.
  2. Movie Nation
    Reviewed by: Roger Moore
    Oct 4, 2013
    38
    Affleck? You never believe a word he says, not a gesture. This is the sort of acting he did in the sort of movies he made before he started writing and directing his own movies — bad.
  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    Oct 4, 2013
    38
    Remember the old Ben Affleck, the one who made 28 consecutive bad movies before he turned out to be a pretty good director? He’s back! Behold, the second coming of . . . Badfleck.
  4. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    Oct 3, 2013
    38
    The sort of generic crime thriller - stick-figure characters, pointless muddle of plot, people entering and exiting SUVs and Lear jets with a sense of urgency - that feels like it could drag on forever, and drag us down into a purgatory of stupefaction with it.
  5. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    Oct 3, 2013
    38
    When it’s time for the hot sex scene between Timberlake’s ambitious Richie Furst and Rebecca (Gemma Arterton), his boss’s luscious second-in-command, the encounter is as charmless and chemistry-free as the wooden banter that has led up to it. I’ve had dentist’s appointments that were sexier.
  6. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    Oct 3, 2013
    37
    The film might take its name from poker subculture, but it lacks all the urgency, single-mindedness and swiftness that the title implies at its most literal. Runner Runner is a bummer. Bummer.
  7. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    Oct 3, 2013
    30
    It feels like a halfhearted bluff and has the stale smell of yesterday’s after-shave.
  8. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    Sep 25, 2013
    30
    What's actually up onscreen in this vaguely ambitious but tawdry melodrama falls into an in-between no-man's-land that endows it with no distinction whatsoever, a work lacking both style and insight into the netherworld it seeks to reveal.
  9. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    Oct 11, 2013
    25
    The actors hit the jackpot, but only in terms of their paychecks. The audience gets a tension-free, tight-assed, "Casino" ripoff that leaves them thoroughly fleeced.
  10. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    Oct 3, 2013
    25
    Runner Runner is less than mediocre, but it's not repellent, which means that to watch it is to root for it - and to be disappointed.
  11. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    Oct 3, 2013
    25
    In its early moments, the movie evokes everything from "The Social Network" to "Casino." By the end, the film has become as exciting as a game of Old Maid. R-rated thrillers are hardly ever this dull and listless, but this movie manages to eradicate all of Timberlake’s charisma and makes you flash back to Affleck’s "Paycheck"/"Gigli" era. How does this even happen?

User Reviews

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User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 28 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 8
  3. Negative: 3 out of 8
  1. Kadeemluvmusic
    Oct 8, 2013
    3
    Although I'm not too sure with the chemistry between a Grammy-winning pop megastar and a Oscar-winning actor (who's going to be in the Man of Steel sequel as the new Clooney *ahem... Batman). JT has some huge talented skills, but he can't act in a traditional style of a poker-esque movie. Runner, Runner has a list of great cast like Gemma Atkinson and Anthony Mackie, but there's nothing new in the movie. I feel very disappointed at Justin Timberlake's movie career status because he's not yet a full Hollywood A-lister and just like Taylor Kirsch and Colin Farrell and even Ryan Reynolds, he's just not making a name for himself when it comes to becoming a musician turned actor. Affleck's performance in Runner Runner is lesser than Gigli and more than Argo. But I think he took a few steps backwards before he even got nominated for his work in Argo. It was supposed to be a good thriller, but then again I just might go see "Gravity" instead. I think I should wait for a rental, but I don't wanna see Runner Runner right now. If you like poker movies, try "Leaving Las Vegas" or "Casino Royale" and maybe you're just in time to play the cards right.… Full Review »
  2. MarcDoyle
    Oct 8, 2013
    5
    It's not a terrible movie as many suggest- it's highly predictable, but Timberlake, Arterton and Affleck are fun to watch in this context. You've got gambling, sex, attractive people in pools, and a smart person negotiating his way out of a difficult series of circumstances. It's the ultimate popcorn movie that doesn't require much in the way of thinking. If you're up for that sort of thing, this should fill the bill.… Full Review »
  3. TVJerry
    Oct 7, 2013
    5
    Justin Timberlake plays a Princeton student who travels to Costa Rica to confront on-line gambling kingpin Ben Affleck about being cheated. When he gets there, he's offered a part in the game, which turns predictably sour and dangerous. While there's nothing original, this film is adequate in style and performances. The pacing never lapses and the art direction is attractive. If you enjoy these actors and don't want to see anything else, you won't be bored. You won't be thrilled, either.… Full Review »
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