66
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanMaggie Gyllenhaal is such a miracle of an actress that she makes you respond to the innocence of Sherry's desperate, selfish destruction.
- 91Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerIn Gyllenhaal's all-out performance, it reminded me most of Judy Davis in "High Tide," another movie directed by a woman (Gillian Armstrong) about a misfit mother and her daughter. It has the same fierce honesty.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterBuoyed by Gyllenhaal's hauntingly complex portrait of the vivacious but addictive Sherry, the film is no mere by-the-numbers chronology of addiction. Gyllenhaal's sympathetic and charismatic performance binds us to the horror of Sherry's personal demons.
- 80The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensWhat distinguishes the film from its many peers is the quality of Ms. Collyer’s writing -- which rarely reaches for obvious, melodramatic beats -- and the precision of Ms. Gyllenhaal’s performance. She treats the character neither as a case study nor as an opportunity to show off her range, but rather as a completely ordinary and therefore arrestingly complicated person.
- 75USA TodayClaudia PuigUSA TodayClaudia PuigThere is nothing flashy about these performances, but Gyllenhaal, Dillon and Gosling fully inhabit their characters, giving haunting portrayals. Watch for these names to emerge on the short list for Academy Award consideration.
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyGyllenhaal, in her most substantial role since "Secretary," does a fine, unshowy job of limning Sherry's faults without alienating the viewer or pleading for sympathy.
- 70SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirThe wonder of Sherrybaby is that we can admire Sherry's exuberance and evident love of life -- and the extraordinary actress who portrays her -- without really being sure where she's going.
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceSherrybaby is by no means a terrible film...But we know exactly where the transparent action is going from word one.
- 50Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversSherrybaby is the kind of pretend-arty Sundance thing that gives indie cinema a bad name.
- 40Film ThreatFilm ThreatThe film as a whole is vaguely entertaining but due to the unsympathetic nature of the lead character, it's hard to emotionally invest in the film beyond that feeling of watching yet another Jerry Springer-friendly family adventure. It’s simply unexceptional.