Metascore

Universal acclaim - based on 31 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 43 Ratings

  • Starring: Laura Linney, Matthew Broderick
  • Summary: A young mother (Linney) is cheating on her fiance (Tenney) with her boss (Broderick), and her life becomes further complicated by the return home of her wild brother (Ruffalo).
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 31
  2. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. 100
    It's rare to get a good movie about the touchy adult relationship of a sister and brother. Rarer still for the director to be more fascinated by the process than the outcome. This is one of the best movies of the year.
  2. Reviewed by: Jay Carr
    100
    Satisfying in every respect, it's a piece of blue-collar chamber music, never treating the characters cheaply, allowing them a complex entwinement of emotions.
  3. (Linney and Ruffalo) are just beautiful enough, in fact, to be in the movies and still remain convincing as authentic folk, and their performances are tremendously moving.
  4. 60
    Seems like a TV movie. A well-written, sympathetically acted TV movie, to be sure, but so timid and clumsy in its deployment of picture, sound, and editing that you have to wonder if executive producer Martin Scorsese bothered to give notes.

See all 31 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 26
  3. Negative: 3 out of 26
  1. This film was so simple in such a perfect sense. The unpretentiousness of the film leads to the deeper greatness that can be overwhelmingly emotionally touched by viewers. The love, the warmth, the bond everything about the film was so true that it somehow connects to our lives one way or another. A Beautiful Film. Expand
  2. A wonderful tender film that beautifully explores the complex relationship between a brother, sister, and child. Has a small town authenticity rarely seen in films, and has left me waiting patiently for over a decade to see Mr. Lonergan's follow up. A streak which will be broken next week when the infamous and anticipated "Margaret" reaches the big screen. Expand
  3. BKM
    8
    A smart, complex and honest look at the ties that bind siblings together for better or worse. Linney and Ruffalo are terrific as a brother and sister working out their issues and the film is constantly challenging our preconceptions about who these people are and what drives their behaviors. Expand
  4. MarkR.
    3
    Average TV-movie drivel that I click past on Lifetime nearly every night. Boring characters, tepid dialogue, unbelievable situations--it';s claim to fame is supposedly how real it is, but that don't mean it ain't boring. Expand

See all 26 User Reviews

Trailers

Related Articles

  1. Ranked: Best and Worst Directorial Debuts Since 1990

    Ranked: Best and Worst Directorial Debuts Since 1990 Image
    Published: August 4, 2011
    A pair of new films from first-time directors, "Attack the Block" and "Bellflower," are receiving strong reviews. Where do they rank among the best and worst directorial debuts in recent years? Find out inside.