69
Metascore
34 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekVillage VoiceStephanie ZacharekThe movie perfectly captures the vibe of late high school, in a way that's both of its time and timeless.
- 87Film.comDavid EhrlichFilm.comDavid EhrlichPalo Alto is one of the best movies ever made about high school life in America (admittedly a low bar), blurring the lines between how unique it is to be a teenager, and how universal it is to feel like one.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe best feature film directed by someone named Coppola in a number of years.
- 75New York PostSara StewartNew York PostSara StewartThe result is a thoughtful, dreamlike (at times, nightmarish) tour through the day-to-day lives of several suburban California teens.
- 70VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeWhile Palo Alto doesn’t seem to be saying anything new exactly, it boasts a clear and confident voice of its own, and it will be exciting to see where the young Coppola goes from here.
- 70The DissolveScott TobiasThe DissolveScott TobiasThe mimicry is so pronounced that it’s hard to locate a distinct, original sensibility beyond the film’s apparent influences. But talented young directors often need time to develop into singular ones, and there’s value in Coppola’s sensual, always-sympathetic feel for lost adolescents.
- 67The PlaylistOliver LytteltonThe PlaylistOliver LytteltonCoppola's screenplay neatly restructures Franco's source material into a deceptively tight narrative, and mostly proves to be raw, authentic and often very funny.
- 50Slant MagazineJesse CataldoSlant MagazineJesse CataldoIt presents little that wasn't already done better in "Myth of the American Sleepover," an equally evocative tale of longing that was far more successful at matching teen tropes with atmospheric naturalism.