A. L. Tufel

Facile, too long, intermittently boring, no new or innovative ideas. A good movie for youngsters -- maybe high school kids or younger. One reviewer said "better than Oppenheimer." I had the totally opposite reaction -- all 3 hours of "Oppenheimer" were completely compelling; Barbie felt like it lasted 3 hours but it was only 2. (I checked my watch about 5 times.) "Oppenheimer" is for adults (though kids could learn something from it as well); "Barbie" is for kids. I think Greta Gerwig is very talented, and this movie seemed to be a waste of her talent. (Her husband Noah Baumbach, who was her cowriter, isn't half as talented. Maybe if she'd written this one on her own, it would've been better.) I could've skipped this one -- clever idea that didn't need 2 hours and all that hoo-ha to make its point.

Stunning -- quietly and powerfully captures the emotions surrounding neglect, pain, love, and kindness. Beautifully written, directed, acted, and filmed. This film knocks most others completely out of the ballpark.

Interesting if slow-moving film based on the novel by the great Richard Ford. There were fine performances by Jake Gyllenhall, Ed Oxenbould (a standout), and Bill Camp -- and I might have given it four stars but Cary Mulligan is so annoying and so one-note that it was hard to keep watching. A better actor would've elicited some sympathy for the character she played, would've turned in a more nuanced performance, but she wasn't up to the task and she brought down the entire film.

Olivia Coleman is, as always, luminous in this moving story that somehow successfully treats mental illness and racism seamlessly. Wonderful acting, directing, and cinematography all around, with an intelligent and sensitive script. Highly recommended!

Very strong cast all around and many very authentic moments, with a ridiculous, sugar-coated, Hollywood ending. So disappointing because it was so honest until that point. Also, the tiny subplots (Swank's character's marital and motherhood problems) were unnecessary distractions that just cluttered up the main plot and, in any case, were too obvious and heavy-handed. SPOILER ALERT: Moving a parent with dementia into a memory care facility is not the end of the family's problems -- things just continue to go downhill and get more difficult and heartbreaking from there... I speak not only as a daughter who has gone through it, but also as someone who has witnessed many friends going through the exact same thing. This film could've really been something if it had stayed true to what seemed to be its original intent.

Overrated, with lots of long, boring shots of Anya slowly batting her eyelashes and lots of long, boring chess matches, before it explodes into full-blown soap opera in the highly contrived sixth episode. The scenes of Beth’s meltdown were pure melodrama and featured some really poor acting and directing.

No lengthy review — just a “Loved it!” For fans of the Coen brothers, it will not disappoint. For everyone else, see it — it’s fabulous! Special shout-out to Harry Melling, who turns out one of the most touching performances I’ve seen in a long while.