Playing It Cool 2014

Bill Edelstein, Variety: A broad romantic comedy that submits the genre to such a rigorous self-examination it nearly tips over into parody - which would have been a good thing. Read more

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: You know you're in trouble when almost every character is given a name except the two leads. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Screenwriters Chris Shafer and Paul Vicknair's script feels like a first draft that was written in one night as they got pumped up on Red Bull and speed-watched Netflix. Read more

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: Proceeding with a strained quirkiness that infects much more than the names of its main characters, this first feature by Justin Reardon is a paean to the kind of narcissism that sucks the air out of every scene. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: Relying too much on fantasy sequences and obvious from the first scenes in intent and conclusion, it's puzzling why Evans misses so badly. Read more

Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun: Playing it Cool has appeal. But it is just not good enough to unsettle the rom-com genre and get people really talking, laughing and loving. Read more

Nick Schager, Village Voice: Proving that its chosen genre is best when its tropes are treated with a balance of sincere sweetness and wink-wink absurdity, Playing It Cool thrives through sheer liveliness, as well as the chemistry of its perfectly paired stars ... Read more