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Puccini for Beginners
Strand Releasing


8.2

based on 20 reviews
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How did we calculate this?

based on 4 votes
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MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Justin Kirk, Gretchen Mol, Julianne Nicholson, Elizabeth Reaser, and Jennifer Dundas

With a sophisticated blend of humor and irony, this screwball sex comedy twists and turns with all the drama of classic Puccini. (Strand Releasing)

GENRE(S):	Comedy \| Gay/Lesbian \| Romance
WRITTEN BY:	Maria Maggenti
DIRECTED BY:	Maria Maggenti
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: July 3, 2007 Theatrical: February 2, 2007
RUNNING TIME:	82 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

Nominated, Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic), 2006 Sundance Film Festival

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

Kirk and Mol are convincing, easily inhabiting their respective roles.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Woody Allen certainly hasn't managed anything remotely this funny lately.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Puccini for Beginners, which takes its title from its heroine's passion for opera, isn't just another trendy toe-dip in sexual experimentation. It may not be the real world of New York, or even of most relationships, but it's worth a visit.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Fresh Manhattan locations prove as photogenic as the leads, and the supporting actors--especially Tina Benko as a glacial, impeccably dressed amazon--don't miss a beat of Maggenti's snappy dialogue.

The Hollywood Reporter Duane Byrge

Brainy and balmy.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

It all looks easy when it's carried off this smoothly. But as any number of stilted duds can attest, applying a Philip Barry or Woody Allen sensibility to 21st-century New Yorkers in their 30s is as delicate a craft as diamond cutting.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The plot, which spins around Allegra's lovers having just been an item, is awkward bedroom farce, but the tone is Woody Allen-meets-"The L Word," with a patina of literary cuteness that now seems like the sound of a vanished Manhattan.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

In the end, it's all la dolce vita no matter how you look at it.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

If Woody Allen were a young, attractive gay woman, he might make something like this, or so Maggenti hopes. But it would probably be funnier, and it would definitely cut deeper.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Considering how good "Puccini's" middle often is, it's a shame it falls down fore and aft. But Maggenti, who loves Carole Lombard and William Powell in "My Man Godfrey," is tapping a likable vein here. She should open it up again.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

Bisexuality certainly increases the geometric possibilities of the romantic comedy, completing its triangles and allowing for quadrangles and other, more amorphous layers of amorous involvement.

Variety David Rooney

While it tips its hat to screwball comedy, Puccini for Beginners owes more to contemporary sitcom. It also has way more in common with "Sex and the City" than "The L Word." None of that is entirely a bad thing in a film that never really soars but has enough breezy humor.

TV Guide Ken Fox

There's also precious little chemistry between the players. Only Mol has any charm of which to speak, and, frankly, she deserves much better.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

Puccini for Beginners may divide individual audience members. It divided me; rarely have I seen a film simultaneously so good and so bad.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray

Maggenti is still trapped behind surfaces, enamored of the IDEA of making a buoyant, urbane romantic comedy, while falling short of anything really resonant or personal.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Awkward, unconvincing bisexual roundelay.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Puccini for Beginners is literate and sensitive, characterized by witty dialogue and smart, emotional two-person encounters.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

There's no conviction among these self-involved folks who sidestep commitment with a quip and a grin.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

But when mechanical plots are a drama's main engine, we look for something else to divert us, preferably good comedy. That's in short supply, unfortunately. And it's no fun to sit through the movie's retread Woody Allenisms.

Village Voice Ed Gonzalez

Maggenti suffocates her story with dated references to every buzzword from Laura Mulvey's feminist catalog except for "the male gaze." In short, a nightmare worse than "Trust the Man."

The average user rating for this movie is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Paul B. gave it a9:
Intelligent comedy, although the ending left me somewhat dissatisfied. The resolution after things came to a head just didn't ring true, but getting to that point was laugh out loud funny. If Philip Roth jokes make sense to you, then you'll find this funny; otherwise you'll be confused and angry like some of the reviewers above.

Michael G. gave it a9:
I read a review that described this as Woody Allen meets "Kissing Jessica Stein," and since I love "Kissing Jessica Stein" I couldn't wait to see this. I wasn't disappointed at all. While not as great as "Kissing Jessica Stein" I still loved it. It's smart, funny, and sophisticated. I loved Elizabeth Reaser in it. She was really cute and I loved her character. I really like Reaser. It's funny because even though she didn't have much to do in The Family Stone, there was something about her that I found so appealing. Since then she's been in Sweet Land and appeared on Grey's Anatomy. It's just too bad this isn't from a bigger studio than Strand because that limits its availability. My video store didn't get it so I got it from Netflix. After watching it I had to order a copy right away to add to my collection. It's a gem that I definitely recommend. Grade: 9/10 (A-)

K G gave it an8:
This movie was filled with witty dialogue, funny interludes, and commentary on sexuality. Even as you worry about the main character Allegra, you can't help but laugh at the impossible situation in which she is entangled.

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Puccini for Beginners Strand Releasing

Puccini for Beginners
Strand Releasing