Tape

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Linklater has hardly been a slacker this year. I'll take the tricky confrontational babble of Tape over some of the gauzier soliloquies in ''Waking Life,'' but either way, he's a filmmaker in love with the music of talk, and let's bless him for that.

New York Magazine Peter Rainer

Linklater must have recognized a kindred spirit when he read Belber's play. He's given us a reality-fantasy game, a psychodrama, a harangue, and a detective story all rolled into one.

Variety Dennis Harvey

Emphasis on its combustible emotions, suspense and surprising humor should help draw sophisticated audiences who, once lured, will quickly find themselves hooked for the duration.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

This is what great dialogue -- and by extension great movies -- is made of.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The writing, acting and direction are so convincing that at some point I stopped thinking about the constraints and started thinking about the movie's freedoms.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

Smart, unpredictable, and alive with the energies of actors who clearly are enjoying being stretched by their material.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

A super-taut and superbly acted three-character piece.

Slate David Edelstein

No wonder Hawke was so hot to pass the script onto Linklater. He's superb, by the way.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Thoroughly engrossing.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

None of the characters emerges as very sympathetic.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

In portraying this threesome, Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard and Uma Thurman give the most psychologically acute performances of their film careers.

Village Voice Dennis Lim

The movie takes shape as an entertaining psychological armwrestle between rank belligerence and blustery condescension.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Linklater keeps it lively with imaginative camerawork and razor-sharp editing.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Hawke is the movie's revelation.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Tape may not be a great movie, but it's a great demonstration of creativity within severe limitations.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

An entertaining, post-modern mulling of the nature of truth, and whether truth is ever so fixed that it can be captured on tape.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak

Unfortunately can't transcend its theatrical roots and the actors, good as they are, seem like they're grandstanding.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

For all of Linklater's acrobatic camera moves, you never quite escape the feeling you're watching a barely adapted TV version of a somewhat gimmicky stage play.

New Times (L.A.) Gregory Weinkauf

For three jerks bitching in a box, Tape makes the most of its minimalism. At its best, it's Betrayal for the Breakfast Club set.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The action is confined to a single set and atmosphere is appropriately claustrophobic, but the image quality is harsh and flat. This accentuates the oppressive meanness of Vince's hotel room, but makes for some unpleasant viewing.

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

The smart but slight film implodes under the weight of its own "excessive linguistic pressure."

Film Threat Anthony Miele

Overall, Tape is an interestingly staged play that, with the proper actors could have made a great film, instead of an adequate one.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

The best thing about the film is the acting of the guys.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Despite its adrenalized actors, Tape is a tired return to the roots of the American indie movement's popular surge a dozen years ago. It could have been called "sex, lies and audiotape."

LA Weekly Paul Malcolm

A tedious exercise in ethical hand wringing.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

A typical student film with its arty angles, bad lighting and pretentious observations.