64
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Village VoiceVillage VoiceHoffman's directorial debut transfers to film the company's ethos of an ensemble performing with ruthless honesty encouragingly well. And that's why it's fitting that this drama asks so much of, and gets so much from, Ortiz.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversThe movie stays alert to the dreams and disappointments of four average people on an emotional roller coaster. It's a sublimely acted movie, hilarious and heartfelt.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttHoffman emerges as a confident film director with visual flair and, no surprise, a remarkable ability to maximize his fellow actors' work.
- 70VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyDisplaying a girth that will give hope to overweight romantics everywhere, Hoffman knows his character inside and out and invites the viewer close to this limited, good-hearted fellow.
- 70Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinBest appreciated for its sweet eccentricities (beginning with reggae lover Jack's would-be dreadlocks), optimistic outlook and authentic New York vibe, as much as for its commitment to being exactly what it is: an affectionate homage to working-class underdogs trying to carve out their own little corners of happiness.
- 70MovielineStephanie ZacharekMovielineStephanie ZacharekThe picture is well-crafted; it just doesn't breathe.
- 67The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonThe A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonJack Goes Boating tells a tender story reasonably well, but it rarely lets viewers feel the emotions instead of thoughtfully observing them.
- 60The New YorkerAnthony LaneThe New YorkerAnthony LaneIf you fancy a modern "Marty," with the old warmth muffled by unfriendly snow, go right ahead. [20 Sept. 2010, p.121]
- 50The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottAs is so often the case in modest, aimless little movies like this one, it is the acting that saves Jack Goes Boating from triviality or worse.