28
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 58The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloAll of the actors, including Franco, do excellent work, given the limitations imposed upon them by a scenario that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Were he a struggling up-and-comer rather than a movie star, the perception of an ambitious misfire like this one would probably be quite different. It’s not a good movie, but it deserves better than mockery.
- 40The GuardianAndrew PulverThe GuardianAndrew PulverThis is basically a studied and serious film, but there's a feyness to its tone, and a lethargy to its pacing that make it difficult to warm to, even if the principal actors give it their all.
- 40Film.comFilm.comMaladies is at least watchable, though just barely.
- 40The DissolveChris KlimekThe DissolveChris KlimekA ponderous, self-important character study swimming with red herrings.
- 38Slant MagazineWes GreeneSlant MagazineWes GreeneIt borders on parody as it tries to portray its hero as martyrdom-bound genius, which makes the film feel as if it was made by Franco's vain, art-fetishizing character from "This Is the End."
- 33The PlaylistJessica KiangThe PlaylistJessica KiangIt only ever connects in the small moments that fall through the cracks of the supposed formal and thematic experimentation—when the fine actors are allowed to walk and talk like real human beings, rather than a collection of tropes.
- 30Village VoiceInkoo KangVillage VoiceInkoo KangThe social construction of illness is certainly a worthy topic, but Carter situates his characters far from any semblance of a plot and even further from his heart.
- 20The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThere’s scant emotional, aesthetic or intellectual gratification in this grainy, flat-looking portrait of the artist as a young nut job.