45
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75The Film StageJohn FinkThe Film StageJohn FinkOccasionally clunky pacing aside, the film is a delightful bit of cinematic comfort food.
- 70VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe Leydon[An] uneven but ultimately winning comedy.
- 50Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaArizona RepublicRandy CordovaThere are a lot of funny people in Brave New Jersey, but the movie is not very funny.
- 50The New York TimesMonica CastilloThe New York TimesMonica CastilloThe film’s narrative simplicity can be charming or frustrating, depending on your feelings about awkward dialogue and overreacting actors.
- 40Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshLos Angeles TimesKatie WalshThe story is spread too thin, or perhaps there just wasn’t that much substance to begin with.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe film wastes several talented performers with its low-key, rambling humor and one-dimensional characters.
- 38Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreIt’s just that this one has nothing much to offer, archetypal characters giving rote performances of a script that needed serious workshopping and edge-adding.
- 30Village VoiceChris PackhamVillage VoiceChris PackhamLambert aims for gentle, Lake Wobegon–ish nostalgia, but the jokes never land, the undifferentiated small town confers no sense of location, and its eccentrics aren’t particularly weird.