JCVD

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

A reality-twisting cousin to "Being John Malkovich" -- showcases a Van Damme who's sly like a fox about his own image.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

One of the best movies playing in Portland is, I kid you not, a loopy dramatic thriller starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Post-JCVD, we'll never again be able to think of Van Damme as just another kickboxer turned actor. Van Damme is an actor, pure and simple, and proves that he is just as deft and accomplished as the movies in which he appears.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

You'll respect him more as an actor if you see this film – and you should, even if you haven't enjoyed the action movies he's made over two decades.

USA Today Claudia Puig

JCVD is a whimsical twist on the biopic, sending up heist movies and breaking cinematic rules to interesting effect. At a critical moment, Van Damme rises out of a tense hostage situation to look into the camera and speak movingly to the audience. He has never seemed more convincing.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Van Damme says worse things about himself than critics would dream of saying, and the effect is shockingly truthful.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

The film sags in the middle section, and it's more a novelty item than a fully formed work . But it's very entertaining. And Van Damme proves himself a brave, possibly foolhardy actor, which is more than Steven Seagal ever did.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Unlike "Being John Malkovich," which JCVD sometimes resembles, there is no secret portal to the star's head; instead, the audience gets a fleeting glimpse through the smeared window of his soul.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

A shrewd satire about stardom and the cult of celebrity.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

JCVD may not be the first meta-musclehead movie, but it's certainly the most surprising.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

JCVD juggles humor with whomping martial-arts moves and a kind of melancholy star turn from the melancholy, muscular star.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

An inspired melding of action thriller, satire and biographical drama through the looking glass of a funhouse mirror.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

This functions perfectly well as a Van Damme vehicle, but it's also a funny and poignant look at a man trapped by his own ridiculous reputation.

Time Richard Corliss

Van Damme has been known as a martial-arts legend, movie star and pain in the ass. But never an actor -- until now.

The Hollywood Reporter Bernard Besserglik

JCVD should entertain both movie and action buffs. Van Damme proves once and for all that he's not just a set of glistening pectorals. However, he's still in no danger of being asked to play Hamlet.

Variety Rob Nelson

A French-language meta-movie parody par excellence, constitutes the headiest stretch of the beefy star's career since, well, ever.

Washington Post John Anderson

Inventive, insightful and utterly surprising movie. It takes you places you're not prepared to go: namely, into the soul of a performer best known for flying back kicks. Who, by the way, can act.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

A canny piece of autobiography that looks at the man behind the legend and the legend behind the man.

Los Angeles Times Sam Adams

The giddy near-brilliance of its central conceit is squandered by flat execution.

Village Voice J. Hoberman

What exactly is JCVD? Comedy? Confession? Confusion? No one will ever mistake these backstage shenanigans for "Irma Vep." But as a self-regarding expression of masculine angst, it's a Damme sight more fun than "Synecdoche."

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Who knew? Turns out, Jean-Claude Van Damme is a funny guy, and a pretty good actor, too. Fans may already be aware of this, but JCVD is likely to introduce a whole new Van Damme to everybody else.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

Some of this is affecting, some of it tedious, and the film's inconsistencies of tone are made more glaring by its peculiar look.

New York Magazine David Edelstein

At one point, Van Damme delivers a long, tortured soliloquy about his alienating stardom to the camera in a single take. It's the most amazing piece of acting I've ever seen by a martial artist. But the film itself doesn't rise above the level of a good try.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

Van Damme's remarkable performance -- I say this in all seriousness -- comes pretty close to redeeming the picture's murky and overly complicated artistic intentions.

New York Post Kyle Smith

Combines a sketch-comedy premise with pacing like a philosophy seminar.