The Tomorrow Man: reviews

What the critics say average 5.6 from 19 outlets

• 8.8 ObserverRex Reed If you cherish the rare opportunity to watch magnificent actors as perfect as Blythe Danner and John Lithgow giving it all they’ve got, in a film about grown-ups, then the line starts here. Read
• 8.0 Film ThreatAlan Ng The Tomorrow Man is not one of these high-dramas with something profound to say about human natures. It’s more a chance to watch two veteran actors in John Lithgow and Blythe Danner do what they spent their entire lives doing, and that’s act and act real damn good. They find that right balance between being normal and quirky to turn out a grounded performance. Read
• 8.0 The WrapTodd Gilchrist Quirky, tender and hopeful, “The Tomorrow Man” doesn’t necessarily depict a romance or relationship that everyone will immediately relate to, but Jones’ kindness and generosity as a storyteller encourages his audience to treat these characters empathetically. Read
• 7.0 Página/12Juan Pablo Cinelli Still, both characters are built so solidly, with their fears, desires and quirks, that The Tomorrow Man manages to hold up on the tenderness their encounter creates. Read
• 6.3 Roger EbertNell Minow The actors bring a great deal of humanity to keep a wobbly script from going too far off balance. Read
• 6.3 The Globe and MailBrad Wheeler The quirky romantic comedy The Tomorrow Man relies on the believability of their late-in-life love in order for the film to work. Which it does, to some degree – that degree being small-story preciousness and the simple pleasure of eating popcorn while watching Blythe Danner and John Lithgow watching television as they eat popcorn. Read
• 6.0 VarietyDennis Harvey If the ultimate effect is a little more slight than one might’ve hoped, Jones and his appealing cast nonetheless sustain a low-key charm even after the enigmatic initial promise burns off like morning fog. Read
• 6.0 Los Angeles TimesKatie Walsh Despite the strange but winning chemistry between Danner and Lithgow, the script ultimately fails the fascinating characters. Read
• 5.8 IndiewireEric Kohn “The Tomorrow Man” suggests “Take Shelter” by way of “It’s Complicated,” an unseemly combination that never quite gels. But the actors work overtime to mine substance from the material, and Jones gives them plenty of room to rescue this curious movie from complete oblivion. Read
• 5.8 Original-CinJim Slotek A parade of pulled punches, there’s not enough of anything in The Tomorrow Man to make it stick as drama or even a believable romance. Read
• 5.0 Slant MagazineDerek Smith The film is content to peddle the naïve notion that love is the panacea for all that ails you. Read
• 5.0 The Boston GlobeMark Feeney Their being together feels more like a device — there’d be no movie without their relationship — than it does a romance. There’s a lack of chemistry that makes for a listlessness of narrative. Read
• 5.0 San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen Johnson John Lithgow and Blythe Danner make an offbeat and winning combination, with total belief that they’re in a really good movie. Unfortunately, they’re not. Read
• 5.0 The Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten The Tomorrow Man is totally dependent on Lithgow and Danner to imbue the characters with warmth and humanity, and elevate them to figures worthy of our interest. Good supporting work from the other actors also keeps us attuned to the story. But otherwise, The Tomorrow Man gives off a feeling of having seen it all before. Read
• 5.0 Movie NationRoger Moore There’s a demographic niche desperate to be served that this movie is aimed at, and more’s the pity that it’s not better as there are so few filmmakers and studios willing to tell stories of this generation, for this generation. Read
• 4.0 New York TimesJeannette Catsoulis The Tomorrow Man is a cloying, at times disturbing tale of two dotty seniors whose eccentricities unexpectedly mesh. Read
• 3.7 The Washington PostMark Jenkins The movie’s ending could be called a twist. But it’s really more of a belly flop.
• 3.0 The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthy There’s no denying that The Tomorrow Man has a knockout ending. But is it worth sitting through the mundane, relatively uneventful film that precedes it? Few will think so. Read
• 2.0 The Arizona RepublicScott Craven While the film’s last 30 seconds are refreshing, they hardly redeem the previous 90 minutes of utter predictability. Read