Terri 2011

A.O. Scott, New York Times: What lifts "Terri" above its peers is not the plight of its protagonist or the film's sympathy for him, but rather the care and craft that the director, Azazel Jacobs, has brought to fairly conventional material. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: A movie that could terrify parents while charming them with its compassion. Read more

John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: An overweight loner, a goofy sidekick, the school siren -- you can write the script yourself, all about an insecure teenager adrift in a sea of adolescent anguish, blahblahblah. And yet, that's not quite what happens. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: "Terri" sounds like a very sad film, and indeed it is; made more poignant by the quiet honesty of Wysocki's performance. But it's a wise film as well, populated by characters who seem utterly real. Read more

Noel Murray, AV Club: DeWitt's script is much better than anything Jacobs has worked on before, with a story that gets richer as it goes... Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: "Terri" is almost an anti-teen-coming-of-age teen-coming-of-age movie. And it's terrific. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: All three young performers are strong here, but Wysocki especially never seems like he's "acting" during these scenes of adolescent drama. He just is. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Can you stand one more quirky, low-budget independent movie about a high school castaway? If it's from Azazel Jacobs, maybe you should. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: [An] emotionally acute indie comedy by Azazel Jacobs. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Wysocki is a genuine talent, as is Jacobs, but the subject of "Terri" remains a pleasant blur. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Reilly does well with his tenderhearted martinet routine, but the film makes him out to be as harried in his own way as the kids he's trying to help. Read more

Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: Much of the movie's success rests on the ample shoulders of Jacob Wysocki, who finds a sweet guileless spot as the title character. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Jacobs and talented cinematographer Tobias Datum once again do a deft job conveying the texture of a home, this time the unkempt, jammed warren Terri shares with his Uncle James. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Terri may be strange, but it's a good, heartfelt strange that resonates long after the film ends. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Read more

Eric D. Snider, Film.com: Terri is largely pointless, and while pointlessness isn't necessarily a bad thing in a comedy, it must be accompanied by, well, comedy. Read more

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: Its charms feel somewhat calculated, but this reflective tale of outsider solitude has enough humor and poignancy to win admirers. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: A lovely lyrical ode to high school misfits and the adults they grow into. Read more

Anthony Lane, New Yorker: "Terri" works, not least because, against expectation, it is a beautiful movie to look at, with an enchanted sense of place. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Wysocki has a grave dignity as Terri, even as the brats around him are grabbing at his body or whispering insults in his ear, but it's John C. Reilly who truly shines. Read more

Scott Tobias, NPR: A tender, heartfelt character study from director Azazel Jacob. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: If one performance could tilt a movie the direction it needs to go, John C. Reilly's expertly left-of-center turn in "Terri" is it. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: It takes far too long to get going, and it doesn't have much of an ending. For quite a while in between, though, it's a tender little portrait of teen fragility... Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: Like its title character, an obese high-school misfit who wears pajamas to school because they're comfortable, Terri grows on you. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: A hit-and-miss affair with some scenes and relationships ringing true and others drowning in a deep pool of artifice. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Movies about high school misfits are common; this is an uncommon one. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: "Terri" is both winning and strange, sympathetic and genuinely scary. Read more

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: If you've sworn off movies about adolescent misfits, I don't blame you, but make an exception for "Terri." Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Jacobs deftly handles the story's many moods, painting a picture of youth as a crazy, tragicomic time when even a wounded caregiver can make a world of difference. Read more

Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Terri" is a challenging but rewarding throwback to a time when independent films weren't just stepping stones on the road to Hollywood. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Jacob Wysocki infuses his performance in the title role with precisely that same duality, turning Terri into an oversized portrait of adolescence -- so naive yet so wise, strangely believable and believably strange. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: Lest you think that you've already seen every possible variation on the outsider-nerd story, Terri keeps plenty of surprises up its pit-stained sleeves. Read more

Bruce Demara, Toronto Star: A sweet and subtle comedy about the awkwardness of adolescence. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: The helmer's style, which finds poetry in cluttered, overgrown environments and potentially embarrassing situations, is perfectly suited to the material. Read more

J. Hoberman, Village Voice: The cast is spirited, the premise is honest, and the direction is sufficiently skillful to obscure most of the platitudes inherent in the material. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: "Terri" turns out to be a small masterpiece of misdirection, a winsome, utterly unpredictable portrait of adolescence that flawlessly captures its cruelty and sweetness. Read more