The Overnight 2015

Kyle Smith, New York Post: An unpredictably weird and delightful sex comedy, "The Overnight" has a sly take on contemporary coupledom. Read more

Sara Stewart, New York Post: It's a kinder, gentler sex comedy, and that's pretty sexy. Read more

Geoff Berkshire, Variety: A perfectly cast quartet of actors buoy the slight, generally unpredictable antics of writer-director Patrick Brice's second feature, though the film itself falls into an uncomfortable middle ground between trying too hard and not trying hard enough. Read more

A.A. Dowd, AV Club: The pleasure of the movie lies in the way it both rewards and subverts expectations, delivering on the risque possibilities of its premise while also coming up with something smarter and a little deeper than a log line might suggest. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: It's a short film, weighing in at 79 minutes, but that feels about right. You probably wouldn't want to spend a lot more time with these folks, no matter how intriguing their company. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: "The Overnight" isn't much - in fact, it's hardly anything. For what it is, though, it's enough. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: [An] unpredictable indie comedy -- sort of a "Who's Afraid of Virginia Kink?" Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Brice goes a bit too broad at times, but he keeps things just funny and edgy and open enough for "The Overnight" to work. Read more

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: The Overnight steers clear of predictability-even if your memories of this daffy all-night party vanish into thin air as soon as you exit the theater. Read more

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: There's a breezy spirit and an agreeable touch of tenderness to the movie that makes it hard not to like, even if it never accumulates much substance. Read more

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: The result is a bit twisty, largely credible and well played by the talented leads. Read more

Richard Brody, New Yorker: The writing is blatantly sexual but utterly unrevealing; the characters and their problems are cut to fit the airtight plot. Read more

Ella Taylor, NPR: Brice manages admirably to make his comedy at once daring and earnest, outlandish and relatable, obscene and sweet. Read more

Stephen Whitty, New York Daily News: Occasionally the film feels more like a string of acting exercises than a tightly edited sex comedy. Still, there's plenty of raunchy romance here and some good, deliberately cringe-worthy lines. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: "The Overnight" ends just as it starts to get interestingly messy ... Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The film's brevity makes it easily digestible but there's an underlying sense of frustration - dissatisfaction that the characters aren't fleshed out better and the humor isn't more organic. Read more

Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: The delivery is unorthodox. You might think you know what's coming, but then comes another curveball that catches you by surprise. You're kept guessing throughout - and it's a real kick when you're wrong yet again. Read more

Christy Lemire, RogerEbert.com: Deft and delicate and exquisitely uncomfortable, but it also offers revelations that are joyful, sad and true. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: An indecently hot and hilarious sex comedy with quartet of playfully scrappy actors who couldn't be better suited to their roles or more eager to rouse our prurient interest. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: There's an insidious cleverness to "The Overnight" that keeps the audience just a bit off balance. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: As clothes are shed and secrets come to light, it all becomes ... alas, a very odd combination of squirm-inducing and dull. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Written and directed by Patrick Brice with atypical wit, the film is uncensored and hilariously unpredictable, jumping from one titillating gag to the next with the grace of a tightrope walker. Read more

Julia Cooper, Globe and Mail: In its best moments, The Overnight deviates from the conventions of a party movie (or "sex comedy," as it has been christened) and veers toward the experimental, the uncanny, the unsettling. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Attitudes are adjusted along with clothing, with all four main actors happily delivering more than Brice's uneven script and sitcomish directing asks of them. Read more

Inkoo Kang, TheWrap: "The Overnight" is the movie equivalent of fuzzy handcuffs: a tame and unimaginative attempt at spicing up the overly familiar scenario of a married couple trying to get their groove back. Read more

David Ehrlich, Time Out: While size may not matter (the movie runs a short 79 minutes), it's not even relevant to something this flaccid. Read more

Liz Braun, Toronto Sun: What makes The Overnight work as well as it does is the cast. The performances here are truly fearless and engaging, with Schwartzman and Scott in particular in high gear. Read more

Danny King, Village Voice: Brice ... needs only to sit back and let his actors excel in their comfort zones. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: Does Brice even fully grasp what he's getting at? Maybe not. That's why this is such a juicy specimen of the Cocktail Party Walpurgisnacht subgenre. He's in nearly the same place as his riven characters. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: This often ribald, ultimately thoughtful comedy of social and sexual manners may not aim particularly high, but it hits a singular mark nonetheless. Read more