Critic Reviews

• J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

  This giant turkey was produced, written, and directed by Roman Coppola, who must have thought the dumb fantasy sequences, steeped in movieland imagery, would remind people of 8-1/2 (or, at the very least, Head).

• Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

  The audience finds out just how long 84 minutes can be. The answer: really long.

• Peter Howell, Toronto Star

  Perhaps the best thing that can be said about the film is that it adequately depicts the narcissism of its star ...

• Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

  A film is a terrible thing to waste.

• Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

  The execution ... is perilously self-absorbed ...

• Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

  A movie that doesn't really seem to have any reason to exist, other than maybe to give writer and director Roman Coppola and star Charlie Sheen something to do for a few weeks.

• Brent Simon, Shared Darkness

  A light (and slight) surrealistic comedy of emotional waywardness -- intriguing enough to qualify as a playful lark.

• James Verniere, Boston Herald

  Director Roman Coppola is nothing if not soaked in movie lore.

• Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix

  When the subtlest part of your film is Charlie Sheen's performance, you've got a problem.

• Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews

  And that glimpse reveals that the mind of Charles Swan III is actually a bad movie.

• Dave White, Movies.com

  It's a nearly perfect apology for the existence of Sheen2013, packaging him as a man out of time, born too late to be the kind of louche, decadent figure he'd easily get away with being 40 years ago.

• Michael Nordine, Willamette Week

  At once feeds into and deconstructs the Sheen persona; it also serves as a welcome reminder that, when he's not busy "winning" or having a public meltdown, the man is a charismatic onscreen presence.

• Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain Dealer

  An artist-playboy stalking an ex-girlfriend sounds tailor-made for Charlie Sheen, but he and his comedy are rather bland. A not quite fully formed film from Roman Coppola.

• Peter Sobczynski, eFilmCritic.com

  It allows moviegoers the dubious pleasure of experiencing what a film by the late Bob Fosse might have been like if only Fosse had been a moron.

• Marc Mohan, Oregonian

  Charles Swan III just needs to grow up. And unpleasant as it may be, we deserve more than a glimpse into his mind.

• Vincent Mancini, FilmDrunk

  There isn't much interesting about delving into the psyche of a broad, meaningless caricature. Ooh, tell us about your rich internal life, Joe Camel!

• Bill Brownstein, Montreal Gazette

  Do we sympathize with Swann? Not remotely. Do we find his friends interesting? Not at all.

• Matt Pais, RedEye

  The guys play victims and lament the poor condition of being horny guys whose significant others won't just be happy with men who make no effort at all.

• Brian Tallerico, HollywoodChicago.com

  Proves two things - that Charlie Sheen is a better actor than his public persona and stint on Two and a Half Men may have led you to believe and that he needs to find a character to prove that instead of this riff on his real-life drama.

• David Noh, Film Journal International

  Breezily charming film is more heart-on-the-sleeve warm and visually generous.

Read all 20 critic reviews