Afternoon Delight
Film Arcade | Release Date: August 30, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
50
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
11
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
The PlaylistCory EverettJul 8, 2013
Afternoon Delight succeeds mainly because although the premise is broad, writer/director Jill Soloway is determined to keep it real. Read full review
80
The GuardianLeslie FelperinOct 26, 2015
Director Jill Soloway's comedy-drama isn't perfect – the leitmotif about open eyes feels over-workshopped, and the ending's a bit pat – but it nails with self-lacerating precision the manners and mores of a certain type of hipster parent, the bourgeoisie's muddled attitudes towards sex workers, and the precarious foundations of friendship. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'HehirAug 29, 2013
It’s a crisp and often hilarious female-centric social satire loaded with delicious talent from the TV-comedy pool. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy BurrSep 12, 2013
The results feel a little life lesson-y but also well-earned and well-observed, and Hahn takes advantage of a rare lead role to locate both the ugliness and beauty in her character. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleLeba HertzSep 5, 2013
Director Jill Soloway gets the most out of her actors, fleshing out their characters and letting us know what makes them tick. It's refreshing to hear dialogue that's natural and modern and doesn't try to pontificate. And the rewards are many. Read full review
65
Film.comLaremy LegelAug 30, 2013
Afternoon Delight will both depress and engage an audience, usually just depending on the minute of the movie you find yourself watching. Read full review
63
Washington PostSean O’ConnellSep 6, 2013
The movie’s a mixed bag, but Hahn makes the most of her opportunities. Casting directors would be wise to take note. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsSep 5, 2013
It's an up-and-down movie, honest one minute and a fraud the next, but you stick with it mainly because of Hahn. Read full review
60
EmpireAnna SmithMar 24, 2014
Six Feet Under scribe Jill Soloway offers a wry perspective on married life as Temple's stripper-with-a-heart is lobbed into this domestic yarn like a firecracker in an arms cache. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJordan HoffmanAug 29, 2013
Kathryn Hahn gives an outstanding performance in what is ultimately a not-very-amazing movie. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen HoldenAug 29, 2013
Whether or not you wince, this meticulously acted movie, which won Ms. Soloway a directing award at the Sundance Film Festival, paints an accurate picture of how a segment of youngish, educated, affluent, white Americans converse. It is anything but inspiring. Read full review
60
Time OutMatt PatchesAug 27, 2013
Soloway mines her ensemble of funny ladies more for laughs than emotional insight, but Hahn breaks through it all; she’s the one who provides the glossy rumination with actual heart. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenSep 11, 2013
Afternoon Delight has many small pleasures but falls far short of reaching the G spot. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperSep 6, 2013
Things play out in predictable fashion, and we’re more than ready to bid farewell to these people and feel grateful they don’t live on our block. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireAug 30, 2013
This cannot end well—we know this—but the major turn Afternoon Delight takes is jarring and irreparable. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloAug 28, 2013
Alas, the film, which had at worst seemed unfocused (not a cardinal sin for a comedy), takes a bizarrely reactionary turn in the homestretch, undermining all of the goodwill Hahn had accumulated up to that point and turning her character into detestable yuppie scum. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenAug 29, 2013
Aiming to discomfort, the film ends up retreating. Read full review
40
Village VoiceNick SchagerAug 27, 2013
A film whose themes are as neatly laid out as its characters' behavior is preposterous. Read full review
40
VarietyAlissa SimonJul 8, 2013
Although there are moments when it feels the plot might move in unexpected directions, in the end, the expected cliches reign. Read full review
38
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeAug 30, 2013
There are some bright one-liners in the beginning, but the comedy/drama mix is an uneasy one, especially considering the shabby way the film treats McKenna, as a tart who’s just there to improve some yuppie sex lives. Read full review
30
The DissolveScott TobiasAug 29, 2013
Afternoon Delight is one of those bad films that seem to drift further and further away from a recognizable reality the more we get to know it. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyJul 8, 2013
It’s impossible to buy into the film’s plea to be taken seriously at the end, just as the upbeat finale feels false. Read full review
12
Slant MagazineTomas HachardAug 26, 2013
Jill Soloway's film is dishonest in the way it attempts to mask self-pity as enlightened self-criticism. Read full review
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