Laggies 2014

Sara Stewart, New York Post: Knightley makes an appealing female slacker (with a passable American accent), and Shelton and screenwriter Andrea Seigel are admirably non-judgy about her behavior. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: Keira Knightley gives a delightfully loose-limbed performance in Lynn Shelton's polished sixth feature. Read more

A.A. Dowd, AV Club: Laggies is undone by the sitcom contrivance of its scenario and some very on-the-nose dialogue, which keeps reminding viewers that, yes, this is a story about willful regression. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: In short, it's fun to watch the actors work. But you wish they had material a little stronger to work with. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: We understand, you're having trouble growing up. Get on with it, and while you're doing so, amuse us. Luckily, the movie does a pretty good job at that while keeping things overly safe for its hapless heroine, Megan, played by Keira Knightley. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: This is the first feature that the talented Lynn Shelton has directed from someone else's script, and it often seems like a premise trying to graduate into an actual story. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: By dint of its on-screen talent, "Laggies" qualifies as a genial, puttering indie with a starrier cast. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Knightley isn't believable as either a laggy or born-again teen. Moretz at least is well cast. Rockwell does his caustic-sensitive routine, at which he's getting very good. Read more

Melissa Maerz, Entertainment Weekly: What saves Laggies is Knightley, who's all gangly limbs and pouty faces, schlepping around in pajamas, acting exactly like a teenager trapped in a grown-up world. Read more

James Rocchi, Film.com: Superbly written, handsomely made and full of terrific performances, Laggies is Shelton's best film to date. Read more

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: From production values to performances to the script, everything here is more polished than we've come to expect from Shelton's lovably loose films. Yet the finished product still feels of a piece with that body of work. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: A lovely lark that provides a lively consideration of the benefits of taking a break from the pressure of keeping up with the twentysomething Joneses. Read more

Jake Coyle, Associated Press: Man-child movies have long been commonplace for members of the opposite sex, so "Laggies," penned by Andrea Seigel, is a welcome twist, one with more than a little in common with "Bridesmaids." Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: A familiar story, albeit from a fresh female perspective and enlivened by a fine cast. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Wry situations and inventive acting, all caught clearly on camera, and shaped into a satisfying whole. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Individual scenes are consistently entertaining and often even poignant. But the script never digs beneath the surface of any scenario, in strong contrast to Shelton's wonderful earlier films. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: This is a nice movie. It's frisky and cheerful, even when tears are on the way. But it isn't a very good movie, mainly because, like its heroine, it's reluctant to make up its mind about what it wants to be. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Shelton opts for a simple shooting style that emphasizes relationships and dialogue rather than trying to call attention to the filmmaker's talent. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: A movie that is, in every way, nothing special - except for the way it's made and how it's done. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Laggies" demonstrates that childhood is tough, but adulthood gives you a real drubbing. Read more

Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Laggies" is the kind of indie film that gives the genre a bad name. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: The dialogue, written by novelist and first-time screenwriter Andrea Seigel, sparks with life. Read more

Inkoo Kang, TheWrap: Shelton's comedy isn't just smart, but cheerfully wise; not just funny, but cleverly and endlessly so. Read more

Cath Clarke, Time Out: How much you get out of this American indie romcom will depend on where you stand on Keira Knightley doing her goofy, 'What me?' normal girl routine. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Laggies presents an intermittently believable portrait of female arrested development. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice: The film is awkward in ways that are sometimes charming and sometimes off-putting. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: Laggies is far from perfect, but it gives us a world we like spending time in. And that's kind of its point. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Unlike its sometimes annoyingly wishy-washy heroine, this is a movie that knows just where it's going, and finds joy in the journey. Read more