Jordan comes out of this movie respectably, while Kendrick comes out of it a star. In fact, she's potentially the first great movie musical star of her generation.
– Ty Burr,
Boston Globe,
19 Feb 2015
fresh:
Kendrick and Jordan seem too squeaky-clean to convey the full weight of the characters' psychological baggage, yet LaGravenese's balanced, unpretentious direction allows the material to resonate all the same.
– Ben Sachs,
Chicago Reader,
19 Feb 2015
rotten:
It's bland, earnest, and receptive, and in order to capture it, the director Richard LaGravenese thinks he needs more crane shots than Citizen Kane.
– Wesley Morris,
Grantland,
20 Feb 2015
rotten:
It doesn't help that the songs, while solid, become repetitive in melody. And there's not a home run in the bunch. I walked out humming ... nothing from this movie.
– Richard Roeper,
Chicago Sun-Times,
26 Feb 2015
fresh:
Anna Kendrick, of all-round-awesome fame, is singing again in this adaptation of an off-Broadway musical.