Mercy (2009)

43% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
41% of users liked it
(254 ratings)

A cynical novelist enters into an affair with the critic who isn't fooled by his romantic posturing in this romantic drama starring and written by Scott Caan. John (Caan) may write about being in love, but the truth of the matter is that he's never actually experienced it firsthand, and he's not… More A cynical novelist enters into an affair with the critic who isn't fooled by his romantic posturing in this romantic drama starring and written by Scott Caan. John (Caan) may write about being in love, but the truth of the matter is that he's never actually experienced it firsthand, and he's not entirely convinced that it even exists. He's a certified bachelor committed to remaining single, but he's also a master seducer capable of bedding practically any woman he wants. When John meets Mercy, he's instantly captivated by her insight and honesty. She sees right through his insincere sentimentality, and as a result John impulsively opens up to her -- something that he's never done with another woman. In doing so John makes himself vulnerable, and for the first time ever he's willing to take that risk. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 27 min.
Directed By: Patrick Hoelck
Written By: Scott Caan
Genres: Drama, Romance

In Theaters: Apr 30, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Sep 28, 2010
Studio: IFC Films

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
I have a problem with movies about men who women cannot resist.
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times
Mercy is a romantic drama with some good qualities -- among them earnestness and strong performances -- but not enough to completely overcome the strain of its clichés.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
Scott Caan delivers a complex portrait of a womanizing bully with a cream-puff heart.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Scott Caan, of all people, playing a writer of romantic novels?
Karina Longworth, Village Voice
Mercy looks like an Urban Outfitters catalog and plays like A Very Special Episode of Entourage, only sporadically convincing that it's taking such form to mobilize a critique of the same.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
Frustratingly uneven...
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
A sentimental sitdram about whether or not a long-distance liaison between an artist and his worst critic has a fighting chance of blossoming into love.
Mark Peikert, New York Press
There's a frayed romanticism to Caan's script that belies his swaggering air of machismo; this is a man who understands the price of love, even if Johnny can't, or more probably, won't.
John P. McCarthy, Boxoffice Magazine
Caan's decision to cast real-life pals such as Jane Fonda's son Garity, McDermott and John Boyd (as a blabbering lovesick friend)--not to mention his father--makes sense, but the decision to leave out the heart of his narrative doesn't.
Nathan Rabin, AV Club
With Glenn offscreen for huge sections of the film, Mercy devolves into yet another navel-gazing drama about a glib cad redeemed by the love of a good woman.
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
A sentimental sitdram about whether or not a long-distance liaison between an artist and his worst critic has a fighting chance of blossoming into love.
David Fear, Time Out New York
Caan can't seem to play up his strengths. He's a raw talent who needs an editor for his scripts and a strong hand behind the camera guiding him. Mercy gives our guy neither.
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
Don't let Mercy's title fool you, as there's no clemency here, from cliché or pretentiousness.
Marshall Fine, Hollywood & Fine
Caan's touchingly clueless longing makes Mercy stand out as an adult romantic drama that earns its hankies

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

In "Mercy," Johnny(Scott Caan, who also wrote and produced) wakes up alone in his bed after another wild night of frenzied sex, only to listen to his friend Erik(John Byrd) complaining about the sad state of his love life. That night at the book party for his latest novel,… More
In "Mercy," Johnny(Scott Caan, who also wrote and produced) wakes up alone in his bed after another wild night of frenzied sex, only to listen to his friend Erik(John Byrd) complaining about the sad state of his love life. That night at the book party for his latest novel, Chris(Alexie Gilmore) bets him that he cannot seduce a cute waitress(Whitney Able). To be honest, he might have been able to, if he had not been distracted by Mercy(Wendy Glenn). As later informed by his agent Jake(Dylan McDermott), his book would have been unanimously praised if not for the review written by Mercy who had no mercy. "Mercy" is a frustrating near miss of a movie and Scott Caan deserves the praise and blame for that. He is a very good actor who makes the new and not necessarily improved "Hawaii Five-O"(where he also plays a character who has a thing for tall English women) much better than it has a right to be and is excellent in "Mercy."(As long as I am in this part of the critical woods, I also recommend "Dallas 362.") But as a writer, he does not fare as well. The story flows smoothly until it reaches a point where it does not know what else to do except get unnecessarily tricky and play the largest cliche in the deck, dragging it out in excruciating fashion. It is a shame because there are some interesting thoughts here on the differences between a public persona and the private person, with the perils of judging harshly. I'll excuse the fact that the lead character is a writer since he uses a manual typewriter but remember critics are people and writers, too.
Christopher H

Scott Caan does a good enough job writing, producing, and acting in this emotional drama. The film loses steam progressively throughout the first three-fourths of the film, but the shocking end is completely worth the exposition. Didn't quite live up to expectations, but still a… More
Scott Caan does a good enough job writing, producing, and acting in this emotional drama. The film loses steam progressively throughout the first three-fourths of the film, but the shocking end is completely worth the exposition. Didn't quite live up to expectations, but still a nicely done piece.
Deb S

Scott Caan plays Johnny, a successful jaded fictional writer, who writes about love but has never been in love probably because his father (played by his own real dad James Caan) tells him that there is no such thing as love. One night at his latest book party, Johnny is up to his… More
Scott Caan plays Johnny, a successful jaded fictional writer, who writes about love but has never been in love probably because his father (played by his own real dad James Caan) tells him that there is no such thing as love. One night at his latest book party, Johnny is up to his usual flirtatious tricks when he notices Mercy (Wendy Glenn) from across the room. He walks over to her but is bemused because Mercy isn't falling for his playboy routine and pick up lines. Johnny soon discovers that Mercy is a book critic who wrote the sole negative review of his third novel and invites her to discuss the book, which leads to an intense affair with marriage on the horizon. It seems that everything is going perfectly but then disaster strikes and well you got to watch the movie to find out what happens next. <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2h4vsd1" target="_blank"><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2h4vsd1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=vh6aab" target="_blank"><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/vh6aab.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>