Infinitely Polar Bear 2014

Sandy Cohen, Associated Press: The story and performances are so sincere that Polar Bear doesn't suffer much from its loose ends. Read more

Wesley Morris, Grantland: The scenes are all playful, but they've got a real emotional edge and all of the children in the movie perform with a comical bitterness: They all feel cheated out of something. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Mark Ruffalo is so wonderful as a bipolar single dad who raises his two daughters in 1970s Boston that you can almost overlook that Maya Forbes' quasi-autobiographical film is the latest in a long line of dramedies romanticizing mental illness. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: There is no denying the impact of Mr. Ruffalo's performance as a troubled but mercurial disaster waiting to happen. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: Mark Ruffalo gives one of his most appealing performances in writer-director Maya Forbes' irresistible feature debut. Read more

Jesse Hassenger, AV Club: The daughters are barely distinguished from each other, Maggie's arm's-length affection for Cam doesn't deepen, and Ruffalo overacts like never before. This isn't much of a movie. It's a series of well-intentioned anecdotes. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Forbes' story and her direction of it may seem too sunny for some. But she keeps us refreshingly off-balance throughout, by letting us in on her memories the way she recalls them. Read more

Peter Keough, Boston Globe: The film boasts two of the best child performances so far this year, and Saldana has never been tougher or more vulnerable. Then there's Ruffalo, who demonstrates again why he may be the best actor of his generation. Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: Delivers an effectively heart-tugging family story without sentimentalizing mental illness. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Despite some occasional moments of real sadness and terror, the turmoil in this movie is decidedly on the upbeat. I would love to have seen what Ruffalo could do with this part were he not encouraged to be puppyish and sweet. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Ruffalo is generally wonderful at finding the tone and mood of a character and holding to it; here he has to bounce about, but again he latches onto a consistent energy that makes Cameron a singular life force. Read more

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: Funny and sympathetic memoir goes easy on the tale's dark side. Read more

Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: Though the film is choppily told and its episodic rhythm never gathers momentum, it contains well-observed moments and astute performances by Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: Tarpits of treacle and swamps of sentiment seem to await anyone reckless enough to drive such a vehicle as far as a script meeting. Yet it's largely true. And it rings that way. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Clearly this is a serious topic, but right from the title - meant as a child's malapropism for "totally bipolar"-the instinct is to go cute. Read more

Ella Taylor, NPR: [A] likable homage to the writer-director's own father ... Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Actors talk about how blockbuster megahits allow them to make more personal movies. The intimate, cozy but challenging "Infinitely Polar Bear" is the perfect example of that. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: Ms. Forbes hasn't made a movie about her father's illness; she's made one about her father, who, through hard and weird times, clearly helped give her what she needed so that one day she could tell this story. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Deeply personal and filled with love, Maya Forbes' Infinitely Polar Bear is nonetheless a hard movie to watch - hard to watch comfortably. Read more

Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: Ruffalo does a magnificent job of conveying Cam's charm and undeniable love for his wife and children - as well as the devastating effects of serious, incurable mental illness. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Ruffalo is a powerhouse in an indelibly intimate portrait of what makes a family when the roles of parent and child are reversed. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Forbes' sweetness of tone and wise casting makes "Infinitely Polar Bear" irresistible. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: The movie offers a situation more than a story. In fact, if it were less sincere, less honest and less tasteful, it could form the basis of a situation comedy. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The setup for "Infinitely Polar Bear" is as odd as the story is heartwarming. Read more

Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Infinitely Polar Bear" is a much-needed reminder that the realm of film is still a place to encounter something other than comic-book scenarios. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: It's ultimately a feel-good movie with some poignant moments ... Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: Infinitely Polar Bear often approaches mental illness as a wacky inconvenience, but Mark Ruffalo's appealingly full-on performance as manic-depressive father Cam Stuart prods the movie into overcoming some shortcomings. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: The usually reliable Ruffalo goes too big and sucks the oxygen out of the rest of the movie. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Ruffalo, a master of rumpled befuddlement, finds his signature role here-it can't be overstated how deftly he eases into the tricky creation, a blue-blooded slacker who aches when the world won't hug him back. Read more

Liz Braun, Toronto Sun: By capturing a watershed period in her family life, Forbes also manages to offer a remarkably concise snapshot of the era and its social views on race, class, education, working women and mental illness. And the resilience of children. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice: Infinitely Polar Bear stands as a reassurance that even in imperfect households, everything can still turn out all right. The key, maybe, is in laughing at what's truly ridiculous, and in laughing your way through what hurts, too. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: Infinitely Polar Bear is a good example of how a film that looks on paper like a mess of indie cliches can be redeemed by fantastic performances...even if, ultimately, it remains a mess of indie cliches. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: What "Polar Bear" really lacks is hindsight. It is a little girl's valentine to her father, without the benefit of bittersweet wisdom that comes with age. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Mark Ruffalo is yet again a revelation in "Infinitely Polar Bear," and he's not the only one. This is a first feature by Maya Forbes, yet many of its accomplishments put far more experienced filmmakers in the shade. Read more