Mr. Woodcock2007

Critics score:
13 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Joshua Katzman, Chicago Reader:Under Craig Gillespie's uninspired direction, the humor eventually settles into stale, familiar pratfalls.Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times:While two novice screenwriters are officially credited with the script, the movie lurches around like something assembled by committee.Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club:Mr. Woodcock. Funny, right? Mr. Woodcock, Mr. Woodcock, Mr. Woodcock. Gets funnier every time, doesn't it?Read more

Janice Page, Boston Globe:The finished product feels like the unloved child of a bad marriage where the only thing anyone remembers is the sharp edges.Read more

Jessica Reaves, Chicago Tribune:[A] marginally promising -- but ultimately unfunny -- comedy.Read more

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle:Child abuse: har-dee-har-har.Read more

Adam Graham, Detroit News:Thornton and Sarandon should have their Oscars repossessed, or at least temporarily revoked, for appearing in this insipid comedy.Read more

Marc Bernardin, Entertainment Weekly:In this post-Apatow-the-arrested-development-genius world, it can't compete. The only thing worth watching is Sarandon, popping in from a classier reality.Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press:Poehler, perversely, is so hilarious and has such terrific dialogue that she seems to have been flown in from another, funny movie.Read more

John Anderson, Newsday:Director Craig Gillespie keeps things moving along at a brisk clip, without doing anything particularly distracting or stylistic.Read more

Steven Boone, Newark Star-Ledger:Mr. Woodcock is often as juvenile and predictable as its title suggests. Yet, this dark comedy about a self-help author plotting revenge on his sadistic former gym coach gets honest laughs because of performances that ring universally true.Read more

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News:You can guess how it all ends, but getting there is a repetitious parade of put-downs and smackdowns that suggest you can't go home again.Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post:Thornton's straight-faced growl is consistently funny throughout this mild but effective comedy.Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel:For Woodcock to deliver, the leads needed to amp things up, to bring their A-game, or at least match the effort they've thrown at previous versions of these characters.Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times:To laugh at parts of this film would indicate one has a streak of Woodcockism in oneself. But to gaze in stupefied fascination is perfectly understandable.Read more

Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle:This film apparently sat around for a few years before being released. It's unlikely to make waves now, but Thornton and Scott do set off a few entertaining ripples.Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch:Read more

Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail:Thornton never cracks a smile... His gloom is infectious.Read more

Susan Walker, Toronto Star:This movie makes a much better case study for aspiring entertainment executives than it does a cinematic experience. What it most emphatically is not is a date movie.Read more

Hank Sartin, Time Out:Read more

Drew Toal, Time Out:Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today:This may be the most laugh-free comedy of the year.Read more

Justin Chang, Variety:There's more genuine humor to be gleaned from saying 'Woodcock' over and over again than from watching Mr. Woodcock.Read more

Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice:Woodcock's a strictly flaccid family affair.Read more

Stephen Hunter, Washington Post:Director Craig Gillespie clearly knows a few things; most important: If you have only 95 minutes of material, make an only 95-minute movie. Amazing how often that's forgotten.Read more