Easier with Practice 2009

Scott Tobias, AV Club: Love stories don't come much squirmier than this one, and Alvarez plays it with honesty, insight, and the awkwardness inherent in this blindest of blind dates. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Easier With Practice reveals the sense of loneliness and isolation that permeates modern life and the lure of fantasy in filling its emptiness. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Geraghty relies too heavily on facial expressions and mannerisms, but those who appreciate visible effort may be seduced. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Geraghty's wounded-pup appeal keeps the movie alive even as it heads for a dreary, even-more-implausible-than-the-setup third act. Writer-director Kyle Patrick Alvarez, though, usually finds the right tone and appears to have a promising future. Read more

Time Out: There's no doubting Alvarez's promise, as he weaves familiar indie elements into a film that is likeable, insightful and compelling. Read more

S. James Snyder, Time Out: Geraghty's performance is harrowing: Clinging to the phone and tortured by his ecstasy, he weaves empathy out of a flawed loner's dysfunctional fetish. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: Amusingly predicated on the romantic possibilities of phone sex, Easier With Practice pushes past its titillating premise to become a quietly provocative love story about emotionally stunted manhood and the risks some guys will take to connect. Read more

Chuck Wilson, Village Voice: The weird turns that Davy's life takes always feel emotionally honest, thanks in no small measure to Geraghty's achingly true performance. Read more