Critic Reviews

• , Time Out

  There's no doubting Alvarez's promise, as he weaves familiar indie elements into a film that is likeable, insightful and compelling.

• Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter

  An unexpectedly stirring first feature by Kyle Patrick Alvarez about the challenges of making human connections in the weird and wired 21st century.

• Justin Chang, Variety

  Amusingly predicated on the romantic possibilities of phone sex, Easier With Practice pushes past its titillating premise to become a quietly provocative love story about emotionally stunted manhood and the risks some guys will take to connect.

• Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

  Geraghty relies too heavily on facial expressions and mannerisms, but those who appreciate visible effort may be seduced.

• Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

  Easier With Practice reveals the sense of loneliness and isolation that permeates modern life and the lure of fantasy in filling its emptiness.

• Kyle Smith, New York Post

  Geraghty's wounded-pup appeal keeps the movie alive even as it heads for a dreary, even-more-implausible-than-the-setup third act. Writer-director Kyle Patrick Alvarez, though, usually finds the right tone and appears to have a promising future.

• Alistair Harkness, Scotsman

  What could have been a film that exploits a potentially salacious premise for artificially comedic or edgy effect, feels instead like an honest and truthful dissection of the sometimes-strange way modern relationships can work.

• Philip Kemp, Total Film

  Based on a men's mag article, Kyle Patrick Alvarez's debut feature is an honest, funny-sad portrayal of emotional dysfunction.

• Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]

  The film is a slow-burner: a study in loneliness and alienation, whose unexpected ending and ambiguous aftermath require us to reassess all that has gone before.

• Nigel Andrews, Financial Times

  It is a cool, funny, mischievous movie, with a stand-out, even break-out, performance from Geraghty...

• Lee Griffiths, Little White Lies

  Kyle Patrick Alvarez's movie stands out as one the year's as-yet-undiscovered gems.

• Stella Papamichael, Radio Times

  An engaging and moving tale.

• Philip Wilding, Empire Magazine

  Excellent American indie that tugs hard on the heartstrings.

• Jamie Dunn, The Skinny

  What might sound like the set-up for a particularly bawdy Judd Apatow comedy is actually a deceptively sweet tale of twenty-first century alienation.

• S. James Wegg, JWR

  The genre of road-trip-leading-to-self-discovery now has another masterpiece in its cinematic vault.

• Annlee Ellingson, Moving Pictures Magazine

  If you give Geraghty some time, and you give Alvarez some time, you can see that they're getting at something by letting it play out.

• Ron Wilkinson, Monsters and Critics

  Do not have a relationship over the phone unless you know the person at the other end. You never do

• Erik Childress, eFilmCritic.com

  Davy's experience never plays out precisely as you would expect and I, for one, guessed wrong just about every time right up to the poignant, perfectly-acted finale that does provide some closure while opening up a whole new set of life questions.

• Don R. Lewis, Film Threat

  Easier With Practice is such an assured, solid and just plain good film, it's going to be a tough act to follow.

• Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com

  For any film, let alone a debut, to address difficult subjects with this much insight, humor, and humanity is almost miraculous.

Read all 21 critic reviews