Fantasy Life: reviews

What the critics say average 7.1 from 11

• 9.0 Los Angeles TimesRobert Abele That Shear knows how to bring the storyline's seasonal time frame to a cyclical close with humor, warmth and hope is the grace note that makes "Fantasy Life" feel like the start of a promising writing-directing career. Read
• 7.5 The Travers TakePeter Travers Matthew Shear's subtly comic take on broken emotional connections marks a spectacular film return for Amanda Peet that you don't want to miss. Read
• 7.5 Roger EbertMatt Zoller Seitz The top-to-bottom cast of proudly eccentric actors, including Holland Taylor, Jessica Harper, Zosia Mamet, and Bob Balaban (as Dianne's father), ensures that every scene has moments of truth, and the filmmaker's empathy pushes the movie over the finish line. Read
• 7.5 The PlaylistWarren Cantrell The brisk pacing of Fantasy Life is a credit to this editorial restraint, yet it also leads to one of the production's few stumbles: its refusal to offer a satisfying, narratively cohesive ending. Even so, the film stands well on its own. Read
• 7.5 Original-CinJim Slotek For a movie that lazily spins its wheels, Fantasy Life is oddly amiable. The only wholly dislikable character is David, and he's so great at being dislikable, you almost like him for it. Read
• 7.0 New York TimesNicolas Rapold For a movie about two people going through a wobbly patch, Fantasy Life glides with a sneaky storytelling ease. Read
• 7.0 The Wall Street JournalKyle Smith As a love story, Fantasy Life isn't particularly original, but the low-key way Mr. Shear realizes some familiar situations is warm and human, with comic aspects and sad ones kept in an appealing balance. Read
• 7.0 ColliderIsabella Soares Although it could be debated whether this is a rom-com or not, given that the romance itself takes a back seat, it excels as a feel-good, indie dramedy anchored by Amanda Peet's career-best cinematic return. Read
• 7.0 Next Best PictureNadia Dalimonte With a film called "Fantasy Life," one might expect it to contain a romanticized version of reality, where the characters' conflicts are magically solved, and their journeys are wrapped in a neat bow. Endearingly, Shear's version is messier and far more grounded. Read
• 6.3 Slant MagazineChris Barsanti Peet finds layers of shading in what could have been a dull and simplistic role. Read
• 5.0 Screen RantAlex Harrison Sam somewhat shrinks into the periphery of the story to make way for Amanda Peet's Dianne, whose tonal world is welcome, but certainly different. Rather than hold things together, Shear the filmmaker seems to step back, too. The result is a film that only exists in moments: sometimes funny, sometimes interesting, always lacking the cohesion necessary to add up to anything. Read