Tape 2001

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: Tape plays in real time in a cramped space, but there are a lot of surprises lurking in the corners of that room. Read more

Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: It's for anyone who appreciates the bitter erosion of friendship and the one-upmanship and mind games bred by festering antagonism. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard and Uma Thurman give the most psychologically acute performances of their film careers. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Basically a character study, and quite an engaging one at that. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Makes its points -- and how -- but never for a second forgets to be thoroughly engrossing. Read more

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: Perhaps because they are working out emotional conflicts from high school, and Vince seems stuck at a childish emotional level, what takes place in the room seems juvenile, despite the powerful subject matter. Read more

Paul Tatara, CNN.com: The banter isn't sharp enough to drive the story, and Linklater's lack of visual elegance is a major hindrance. Read more

Steven Rosen, Denver Post: A failed experiment with arresting moments. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Hawke releases his inner actor, and it's a kick to see. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: For the most part, Tape is smart and deftly executed, with Hawke, in particular, as the resentful Vince, making a vivid impression. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: Read more

Peter Rainer, New York Magazine/Vulture: The performances are amazingly charged and fluid. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: An amazingly dynamic motion picture -- one that challenges viewers' ideas and preconceptions. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Tape made me believe that its events could happen to real people more or less as they appear on the screen, and that is its most difficult accomplishment. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Like most movies by Linklater, it's the kind of film that doesn't usually get made -- a dramatic chamber piece for young people. Read more

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star: If Tape's claustrophobia doesn't get to you, and if you've got the intestinal fortitude to spend nearly 90 minutes in intimate proximity with two equally unlikeable guys, the movie does exert a certain propulsive fascination. Read more

Geoff Andrew, Time Out: This makes good on that old Dogme promise by discarding the crutches of conventional movie drama and concentrating on the raw essentials of character and story. Read more

Mike Clark, USA Today: Linklater's movie of a Stephen Belber play is for half its length a dull, two-character drama crying out for fresh blood. Read more

Dennis Harvey, Variety: Three actors yakking in a single drab interior, shot on HD video: It's unlikely this poverty-program recipe has, or ever will again, yield results quite as entertaining as "Tape." Read more

Dennis Lim, Village Voice: Takes shape as an entertaining psychological armwrestle between rank belligerence and blustery condescension. Read more