Private Life: reviews

What the critics say average 8.3 from 11 outlets

• 10 Roger EbertMatt Zoller Seitz The film's writer-director, Tamara Jenkins is a brilliant chronicler of upper-middle class white people and their foibles, and her eye for detail is anthropologically exact, empathetic but never begging for sympathy. Read
• 10 New York TimesA.O. Scott Though it is poignant and funny in nearly equal measure, the most remarkable aspect of Private Life may be its lack of noticeable exaggeration. Ms. Jenkins is working at the scale of life, with the confidence that the ordinary, if viewed from the right angle, will provide enough drama and humor to sustain our interest. Read
• 10 Los Angeles TimesJustin Chang Jenkins constructs an entire narrative from little exchanges, reveries, complications and setbacks. With a mix of concentration and expansiveness that can take your breath away, she unpacks exactly what ?they?ve tried everything? means. Read
• 9.1 Entertainment WeeklyChris Nashawaty It?s about perseverance, compassion, and empathy. Read
• 9.1 IndiewireDavid Ehrlich Crucially, these characters are so believable that every scene has an internal logic and justifies itself. Read
• 9.0 Vanity FairK. Austin Collins Jenkins can find the humor and bleached-out irony in something as sterile as a hospital?s oppressively white walls?it?s a true talent. Let?s not wait another decade to get more of it. Read
• 8.0 The WrapElizabeth Weitzman As both writer and director, Jenkins pushes us to rise above judgment by steadfastly refusing to indulge in it herself. Deep empathy suffuses the screen, enveloping every one of the characters. Read
• 7.0 VarietyOwen Gleiberman It?s witty and moving but a touch repetitive, and it goes on for too long. That said, Jenkins has made the most intimate comedy imaginable about the fertility blues. Private Life hits some delicate nerves, and heals a few of them too. Read
• 7.0 The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeFore Looked at independently, so many scenes contain something raw or truthful that one understands Jenkins' reluctance to trim. Read
• 6.3 New York PostJohnny Oleksinski Private Life gives us an intrusive and often funny look into a couple?s struggle to conceive. If only director Tamara Jenkins? dramedy stayed as grounded as its relatable premise. Read
• 5.8 The PlaylistGregory Ellwood Jenkins has a vision and something interesting to say in Private Life, but it needs some serious editing to convey it succinctly. Read