About Alex 2014

Sara Stewart, New York Post: Zwick has a good ear for dialogue, and scenes between pairs of characters are smart and intimate - a nice match for talents like Plaza and Greenfield, who are particularly fun to watch play off each other. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: The intelligence and unhackneyed humor of the believable, unself-conscious screenplay by fledgling director Mr. Zwick (son of veteran director Edward Zwick) deserves special praise. It never hits a false note. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: Only Plaza's performance as the troubled Sarah comes close to creating a three-dimensional character. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: Neither the script's up-to-the-minute signifiers nor its cheekily self-aware humor can entirely dispel a formulaic feel. Read more

Mike D'Angelo, AV Club: About Alex benefits from a uniformly strong cast that does its best to find moments of truth in the banal, derivative scenario they've been handed. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: They wonder what happened to them, how they got so serious, never stumbling on the obvious answer: YOU GREW UP, YOU DOPES. Read more

Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com: Taste, talent and lineage only go so far when nearly every line feels like it's from a script, not life. There's not a single surprise in this 96 minutes of millennial moaning. Read more

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: Unambitious but amiable, it benefits from the presence of familiar talents. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: The movie stalls in a limbo of half-realized characters and superficial weightiness. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Zwick clearly wanted to update "The Big Chill," but he never pushes past the concept itself. Read more

Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times: The insight that social media fosters false intimacy is old news. The film shows only a half-formed sense of how careers have changed in 30 years. Read more

Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail: The chronicle of a less self-absorbed generation, it's less annoying than The Big Chill but also less funny. Read more

Bruce Demara, Toronto Star: About Alex still has sufficient charm, wit and occasional wisdom to make it worthwhile. Just don't expect another Big Chill. Read more

Abby Garnett, Village Voice: Dramas about relationships are built on details, and too often, the ones in About Alex feel like elements of a screenplay rather than specifics from real life. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: Like the online medium it fitfully critiques, the movie never digs very deep. Read more