Advanced Search Beta »
Basic Search Fields
Serendipity
Metascore
52 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 33 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 33
  3. Negative: 4 out of 33
view
per page
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    91
    Serendipity has no business working, but it does. And by the way, Eugene Levy has no business almost stealing the show, but he does, too.
  2. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Jay Carr
    88
    Serendipity returns us, if only for a couple of hours, to the Manhattan of our dreams.
    All this critic's reviews
  3. Mr. Showbiz
    Reviewed by: Kevin Maynard
    80
    The casting is sublime.
    All this critic's reviews
  4. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Charles Taylor
    80
    Airy and enchanting, this romantic comedy works overtime to sprinkle moonlight and stardust over itself.
  5. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    80
    Serendipity is "Sliding Doors" with no alternate versions; it's willed enchantment all the way.
    All this critic's reviews
  6. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Connie Ogle
    75
    Serendipity's finale is a perfect crowd-pleaser, sweet and unlikely and over the top.
  7. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    75
    Honestly, it's still pretty hard to resist as a guilty pleasure: A fluffy date-night movie that wrung a tear or two from more than one hardened male critic's eyes, chick flick or no.
  8. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Bob Graham
    75
    Serendipity is a throwback to a more innocent era in American life, 25 days ago.
  9. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Michael Dequina
    70
    Serendipity leaves one with a pleasant feeling few films generate: that of wanting more.
  10. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Ed Park
    70
    The most romantic New York movie since August's "Happy Accidents."
  11. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: David Ansen
    70
    A fanciful, featherweight, mostly charming concoction predicated on the old romantic myth that there is one true soul mate out there for us all.
    All this critic's reviews
  12. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    63
    There is a thrill in seeing them wooing and pursuing each other through the streets of New York, a city that here again, for a while, becomes a movie isle of joy.
  13. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    63
    The lightweight bauble is perfect entertainment for now.
  14. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    63
    If you can believe Serendipity's cockeyed conceit, you may find that discovering this escapist love story feels like a lucky accident.
  15. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Schickel
    60
    Your affection for Serendipity may depend on how fascinated you are by a movie that is apparently going after the all-time record for delayed consummation.
    All this critic's reviews
  16. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    58
    Tasty, but, finally, a little unfulfilling.
  17. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    50
    This exceedingly romantic comedy begins with flair but lapses into clichés long before the sentimental (and predictable) finale.
  18. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    50
    Contrived and schematic, Peter Chelsom's film is a mechanical bird that never takes wing.
  19. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Michael Sragow
    50
    Maybe the best way to see Serendipity is to take a cue from the characters and wait a few years.
    All this critic's reviews
  20. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    50
    The pace is brisk and the details are carefully arranged, but there's no sparkle -- and what's a romance without that?
  21. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    50
    It's kinda funny and pretty cute. Sometimes that's all it takes.
  22. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Sean Axmaker
    50
    It all feels false and calculated, an overearnest attempt to find old-fashioned romantic innocence in the modern world by someone too jaded to believe.
  23. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    50
    I've never understood why filmmakers construct romances in which the leads hardly spend any time together.
  24. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    50
    A blithe and unapologetic fairy tale about affairs of the heart, it's a spun-sugar confection that's so light and airy it threatens to simply float away.
  25. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    50
    The cinematic equivalent of a plate made of spun sugar.
  26. New Times (L.A.)
    Reviewed by: Robert Wilonsky
    50
    Serendipity already feels archaic, like some dusty relic that's been unearthed from an antique store's attic and polished off for display.
  27. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ernest Hardy
    40
    As Serendipity moves into the final stretch, Chelsom's direction becomes frenzied but still lethargic; he never breathes life into the film.
  28. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    40
    Will serve as an excellent gauge of any viewer's tolerance level for schmaltzy contrivance and manipulation.
  29. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Lisa Alspector
    40
    Romantic comedy is set mainly in NYC, where the plight of its ambivalent lovers seems particularly trivial.
  30. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    38
    The plot risks bursting under the strain of its coincidences, as Sara and Jon fly to opposite coasts at the same time and engage in a series of Idiot Plot moves so extreme and wrongheaded that even other characters in the same scene should start shouting helpful suggestions.
  31. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Rita Kempley
    30
    The ultimate in deja viewing:an overfamiliar and exasperating game of cat-and-mousie.
  32. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    20
    Does romantic comedy have to come off as sugared stupidity? It does here.
  33. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    20
    Insipid, by-the-numbers romance.
prev next
Page:
  • 1

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 32 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 17
  3. Negative: 3 out of 17
  1. CassianJ.
    7
    When Jonathon randomly bumps into Sarah in a department store whilst both trying to purchase the same pair of gloves an instant bond is formed. Sarah has a great believe in fate and takes Jonathon for some food at her favourite café ‘Serendipity’ and explains to Jonathon her faith fate and how if they are meant to be together then fate will make it so. A chain of events is then set in place which leads to a highly obvious conclusion that makes for a very enjoyable ride. Not being a great fan of romantic comedies I always come to films of this genre with trepidation but found this to be the exception to the rule a high quality rom-com which is actually an geared for adults and not the normal teen stuff. This is a well directed film which is kept together tightly with little to no wasted scenes, bring the film in at a respectable 90 minute running time which I feel is just about right for romantic comedies. The leads do very good jobs of their roles and remain enchanted by each other considering how little of the running time they actually spend in each other’s company. Now it helps if like me you are a big fan of John Cusack, but he really does very well with this role bringing a real feel of reality to the role making a man who could seem shallow or even dastardly at times seem real and earthy. Kate Beckindale does the English rose thing well without being the over the top prim and proper English girl character that we quite often get presented with in American movies. They are well supported by the always magnificent Jeremy Piven (the man is such a subtle scene stealer!). I would highly recommend this movie to fans of romantic comedies and to movie fans in general. I will be watching it again with my wife.… Full Review »
  2. Eliza
    10
    It is wonderful romantic story. It is my favorite love story. Advice to everyone who still trust in true Love.
  3. StaceyG.
    9
    Imagine trying to bake a perfect cake with layers of chocolate and vanilla. But the cake will be nothing more than a forgettable, fattening dessert unless it is cooked at the exact set temperature. Even with old ingredients, 'Serendipity' was cooked perfectly. It comes out of the oven with the candles already on it, and they're lit, too. 'Serendipity' is a movie with so much heart and bold honesty that you just might like it. Romantic comedies are not meant to be good or memorable beyond a few sparked daydreams, but once Cusack and Beckinsale click in front of the camera they click on screen, and when snow falls and lips lock everything else falls into place. It's as if the film were a tapestry of events and characters that was meant to be viewed right when you thought a romantic comedy could never be a total success, just to prove you wrong. Beckinsale and Cusack Are Jonathan and Sarah, two people who fall in love by doing nothing more peculiar than visiting a department store. They are not the perfect people romantic comedies often portray the 'featured' couple to be. Jonathan and Sarah are just a nice pair trying to make sense of a life changing night. The characters never seem as if actors play them. They seem to be as caught up in their romance as we are. Jeremy Piven plays a better 'sidekick' to Cusack than even Vince Vaughn did to Owen Wilson in "Wedding Crashers." The script is so refreshing that when it's funny you forget it has a romantic base and when it is romantic you forget it is meant to be funny, as well. The romance is like the center of a flower while the comedy-centered moments are pretty pedals. Everything in the film seems proud and charming. When 'Serendipity' ends and you realize (and admit) it found a way to hide your logical views on love for a few hours, you will ponder just how the movie managed so much charm. Is it the directing, the writing, the acting, the soundtrack? Not really. It's in how they mix. It's how when the movie has the perfect actors it also knows when to have them say a perfect line at a perfect moment while the perfect music plays off camera. 'Serendipity' might have its flaws and it will never be more than a romantic comedy, but it's a really good one and everyone involved with the project seems to know that. It's like the charming little novel that is always eager to be taken off the shelf and read.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »