Though it has some mildly amusing moments (mostly in the visuals accompanying the novel's narration), Alex & Emma is disappointing, neither very romantic nor very comic.
50
PremiereLaine Ewen
PremiereLaine Ewen
Had the picture maintained a sense of lightheartedness, it may have better lived up to its genre. But, as is, Alex & Emma is flat, neither whimsically romantic nor consistently comedic.
50
Film Threat
Film Threat
Too much of Alex & Emma is an overt attempt to recreate the lightning in a bottle Reiner achieved with “When Harry Met Sally.”
38
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The lack of sexual tension is astounding.
33
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
You can't help but think how much better this film would be had Woody Allen directed it...How much more acerbic fun would it be to see Judy Davis playing stenographer to a neurotic, writer's-blocked Woody?
30
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
A stunningly inert piece of cinema, a movie that basically boils down to serial shots of people talking to each other.
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The inside story is weak, dull and head-poundingly boring, and the outside story is only slightly better, thanks to the lukewarm likability of its two stars.
30
L.A. Weekly
L.A. Weekly
It's like a three-times-too-long sitcom pilot missing the laugh track.
25
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Watching Wilson and Hudson toil thanklessly through this mess is more laborious than writing the Great American Novel. And a lot less lucrative.
0
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
Astonishingly dull. The leads have zero chemistry, the supporting actors are even worse, and the script is a lifeless, draggy thing.