Critic Reviews
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Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
First-time directors Phil Dorling and Ron Nyswaner can't find a coherent emotional tone, and the actors' energetic contortions can't keep the sinking story afloat.
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Kyle Smith, New York Post
Drug abuse stories are to Hollywood what babies are to mothers: fascinating to the talkers, not so interesting for their audiences.
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Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
Feels trapped in the limbo between comedy and drama where many indies gamely venture, but from which few emerge with any resonance.
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Stephen Holden, New York Times
As "Why Stop Now?" gathers momentum, the increasingly uneasy sensation it produces is not unlike that of being in the back seat of a speeding car whose drunken driver refuses to give up the wheel.
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Ella Taylor, NPR
Why Stop Now refuses to keep faith with its characters, to carry them as far as they can go without tying them up in a neat bow of redemption.
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Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
This comic drama tries too hard to serve up a slice of manic life, but Eisenberg, along with Tracy Morgan and Isiah Whitlock Jr. as the affable druggies, provides some spark.
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Chelsey Grasso, Paste Magazine
An odd mix of blatantly comedic moments and strangely serious scenes, Why Stop Now finds itself stranded on an odd middle ground between comedy and drama.
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S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
Young man's very bad day includes drugs, swearing, more.
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Jordan Hoffman, ScreenCrush
The alleged comedy 'Why Stop Now' is here to prove that when it tries really, really hard to be awful it can overcome the obstacle of having a terrific cast.
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Marshall Fine, Hollywood & Fine
Boasts such a diverse cast of recognizable faces that you have to wonder where it all went wrong..a half-hearted tale that should land with more impact than it does.
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Kirk Honeycutt, honeycuttshollywood.com
Each actor is adept at twisting a line or bit of spectacular illogic so gasps turn to laughs.
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Matt Pais, RedEye
Fast-paced and driven by Eisenberg, again finding varying dimensions in a twitchy character that isn't a repeat of his past roles.
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Scott Tobias, AV Club
It's handsome, well-paced, and nicely acted, but suffers from a fatal lack of purpose, as if Dorling and Nyswaner couldn't commit to whatever movie they wanted to make.
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Andrew Schenker, Slant Magazine
Shifting between wacky situation comedy and somber familial drama, Why Stop Now? isn't invested enough in either mode to convincingly pull off its genre-hopping ambitions.
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Kam Williams, myfilmblog
Delivers just enough laughs to remain recommended, despite the fact that this hard to pigeonhole head-scratcher would have benefited from making a total commitment to either comedy or a drama.
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Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
Isn't very funny or poignant, drifting somewhere in between while the actors make the best out of a lackluster storytelling situation.
Read all 16 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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A funny thing happened on the way to rehab.
Decent Movie! It's really a movie that is mostly being carried by its characters and the actors who are portraying them. It might seem like an odd choice for Oscar nominated and winning actors such as Jesse Eisenberg and Melissa Leo… More
A funny thing happened on the way to rehab.
Decent Movie! It's really a movie that is mostly being carried by its characters and the actors who are portraying them. It might seem like an odd choice for Oscar nominated and winning actors such as Jesse Eisenberg and Melissa Leo to be in this little film but I can definitely see why they wanted to be in it. It's simply being a true actor's movie, in which they are truly able to shine, without having the pressure of a big budget and high expectations and Hollywood producers constantly breathing down their necks. The movie overall is nothing special but it is entertaining and if you are looking for a mindless movie to put in and enjoy then this is a decent choice.
The story of Eli Smith (Jesse Eisenberg), a piano prodigy, dealing with his troubled mother, Penny (Melissa Leo), and enlisting help from a hapless drug dealer, Sprinkles (Tracy Morgan), on the day he has an audition for a prestigious music program. Events spiral comically out of control as this gang of misfits faces the mistakes of the past, the challenges of the future, and the possibilities of love.
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Yet another Indie "dramedy" in the vein of Wes Anderson and the Duplass Brothers. In order to check her into rehab, Jesse Eisenberg must get his mother, Melissa Leo, high so her urine sample is approved. They call into her dealer, 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan, but he's… More
Yet another Indie "dramedy" in the vein of Wes Anderson and the Duplass Brothers. In order to check her into rehab, Jesse Eisenberg must get his mother, Melissa Leo, high so her urine sample is approved. They call into her dealer, 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan, but he's fresh out. The three set off on an adventure of (yawn) self discovery. It's not particularly dramatic and there's not much in the way of comedy despite the best efforts of the talented lead trio.
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One of the actors I like (Jesse Eisenberg) in a movie I didn't like... and the main reason is that the screenplay was made like some kind of patchwork from things which didn't match! I never got the involving experiencing feeling watching it. Everything was like a dream in… More
One of the actors I like (Jesse Eisenberg) in a movie I didn't like... and the main reason is that the screenplay was made like some kind of patchwork from things which didn't match! I never got the involving experiencing feeling watching it. Everything was like a dream in between a few wake up toilet calls... after eating a watermelon at night.
This film is actually a dramedy about a young pianist Eli on the day of a big piano recital who also has to check his junkie mom into rehab. Of course, things never go as planned.
Drifting and with a lack of purpose!
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An under-rated movie with charm and a heart but it's also pretty funny at times as well. Jesse Eisenberg does his best work since Social Network as a talented piono player heald back by his family problems with his drug addict mother. While Tracey Morgan is at his best as a drug… More
An under-rated movie with charm and a heart but it's also pretty funny at times as well. Jesse Eisenberg does his best work since Social Network as a talented piono player heald back by his family problems with his drug addict mother. While Tracey Morgan is at his best as a drug dealer. Only 25% good reviews isn't fair at all.
Read all 6 featured audience ratings
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