59
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75The PlaylistJason BaileyThe PlaylistJason BaileyJohnson and Kendrick are just terrific together — ample chemistry, excellent comic byplay — and the sense of play, the feeling of one-upmanship in their scenes together, immediately cranks the picture up a notch.
- 75Slant MagazineRoss McIndoeSlant MagazineRoss McIndoeThere’s never any danger of Self Reliance’s reach exceeding its grasp, but it gets a firm handle on the things it does want to achieve: tell good jokes, craft likeable characters, and strike a lighthearted tone that’s always just a little bit odder than you may be expecting.
- 70VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeJohnson delivers a silly and frequently surprising why-we-need-people parable that leans on laughs in lieu of peril.
- 70Screen RantMae AbdulbakiScreen RantMae AbdulbakiSelf Reliance doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it’s exactly the kind of directorial debut one would expect from Johnson — and he certainly delivers a wild, energetic, funny story that still works despite a lukewarm ending.
- 67The Film StageJake Kring-SchreifelsThe Film StageJake Kring-SchreifelsThis is a sure-handed debut with a reliable group of actors.
- 63RogerEbert.comClint WorthingtonRogerEbert.comClint WorthingtonIt’s a little too “Garden State” in places, but Johnson smartly puts a grim enough layer on their dynamic to avoid turning the whole thing into a treacly rom-com.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeThe Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeSelf Reliance fares better when it plays up its fictional reality TV show. Johnson flexes his familiarity with the landscape and its mechanics.
- 58IndieWireRafael MotamayorIndieWireRafael MotamayorThe problem is that, while Johnson crafted a good script that balances multiple tones, his directing isn’t as confident in that tightrope.
- 50The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe movie is too juvenile and too timid to acknowledge the real-world chill of its online cabal of murderous social misfits.
- 40Paste MagazineBrianna ZiglerPaste MagazineBrianna ZiglerThe premise is also genuinely neat, a fun, breezy little 90-minute high-concept that unfortunately sounds more propulsive and invigorating than it really is.