62
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumFor those who wish to decode The Names of Love, there's a sharp commentary on French prejudices, character types, history, and culture embedded in Michel Leclerc's droll autobiographical French comedy.
- 75The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe American romantic comedy has grown distressingly moribund lately, but anyone looking to freshen up the genre a bit need look no further than Michel Leclerc's The Names Of Love.
- 70Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternSharp-witted, sometimes surreal and largely autobiographical French-language comedy.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenFor all the potentially dangerous subjects it glosses, above all the tangled legacies of the Holocaust and the Algerian war, The Names of Love dances away from any uncomfortable provocation. Even when sticking out its tongue, it is finally just an airy comedy riding on one cheeky, incandescent performance.
- 63Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerSlant MagazineAndrew SchenkerChockfull of ideas in a way that's both scattershot and more than a little exciting.
- 58Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerToo much of The Names of Love is a joke book posing as a movie.
- 50New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoStrained and mildly amusing. The real reason to see the movie is the delightful performance by Sara Forestier, who rightly won the French version of the Oscar for her portrayal of the carefree Baya.
- 40Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearThe question of whether the couple can overcome respective traumas and inbred social attitudes is essentially moot; the real query is how much insufferable Gallic tweeness you can stand before simply shouting "no, merci!"
- 40Village VoiceMelissa AndersonVillage VoiceMelissa AndersonThe pathetic attempts at outré, taboo-busting humor as sociopolitical commentary can't disguise what this film really is: a mawkish, MOR comedy of manners that even its straw man Nicolas Sarkozy would find suitable for date night.
- 20New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierDirector Michel Leclerc's comedy plays like one of those foreign-movie spoofs Jerry and the gang would go to see on a "Seinfeld" episode. Only here, there's no "young girl's journey from Milan to Minsk" - just from madcap to moronic.