Critic Reviews

• Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times

  Neither the film, nor the film within the film, hold our attention. Bummer, Keanu.

• Sara Stewart, New York Post

  Director Mark L. Mann seems to be searching for the meaning in aimlessness, and in lowered expectations. But too often the narrative left me feeling the titular "um."

• Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

  Meandering and affected, this tedious character study is as aimless as the lives it depicts.

• Justin Chang, Variety

  A slapped-together sub-mumblecore exercise that at times suggests a feature-length expansion of 2010′s "Sad Keanu" meme

• Stephen Holden, New York Times

  What does it add up to? Um ... I have no idea and don't really care.

• Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

  "Um" winds up as empty as its mean streets are phony.

• Todd Jorgenson, Cinemalogue.com

  While Reeves brings more depth to his character than the script warrants, the film overall lacks compelling characters and winds up depressing instead of profound.

• David Noh, Film Journal International

  A single, plotless day in New York in the company of Keanu Reeves feels like a life sentence.

• Christopher Null, Film Racket

  The point of the movie seems to be: like, inarticulation, or something?

• Brian Orndorf, Blu-ray.com

  It's a patience-tester, salvaged only a smidge by Reeves's uncanny ability to remain perfectly still while his co-stars strap on acting school rocket packs and pinball around the frame.

• Andrew Schenker, Slant Magazine

  The levels of insight provided into the characters are exactly commensurate with any conceivable viewer's interest in learning more about these nonentities.

• Eric Kohn, indieWIRE

  a bafflingly irreverent, meandering character study that resurrects Reeves' trademark inscrutable delivery, providing the actor with his most characteristic performance in years. But that's not quite enough to salvage the movie.

• Ben Kenber, We Got This Covered

  Despite strong performances from Keanu Reeves, Bojana Novakovic and Adelaide Clemens, Generation Um... doesn't give us enough of a story to keep us fully invested throughout its running time.

Read all 13 critic reviews