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Avg. Critic Score: 61 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 Iffy for 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Carrie Rickey

    As a director, Cassavetes is a keen observer of character and social interaction but not yet much of a visual stylist (which might also describe the improvisational dramas made by her actor/director father, John). Read full review

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    As charmingly verklemmt New York women with bad luck in men and good luck in apartments go, Nora Wilder in Broken English has all the breaks. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Frank Scheck

    Demonstrating that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, the screenwriter-director has delivered a well-observed film boasting highly realistic performances and dialogue, if not plot elements. But it's Posey's fascinating portrayal of a thirtysomething Manhattan single woman looking for love that lifts the film above its "Sex and the City" predictabilities. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Dennis Harvey

    A pitch-perfect lead performance by Parker Posey and debuting feature writer-helmer Zoe Cassavetes' deft, low-key approach raise Broken English a couple notches above the usual run of lonely-single-woman-seeking-romance-in-the-big-city yarns. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times |

    A well-acted, smartly directed film that's depressing because it could have amounted to so much more. It departs from the studio-financed romantic-comedy template in just one, unfortunately fatal respect: it makes a point of pride out of rejecting clich, then swoons into its embrace. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    A wry, charming romance about a New York woman who has given up hope of finding love. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    A conventional New York-lonely hearts story made watchable by one element and one element only: Parker Posey. Read full review

  • 63
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    There is a very good movie named "Before Sunset" that begins more or less where this one ends. Which tells you something right there. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    If Broken English occasionally falls prey to a bit too much self-conscious lethargy, it's still a welcome chance to see Posey at her flighty, edgy best. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    Broken English doesn't break any code or offer original insights on the subject. But there's a spark whenever Posey and Poupaud are together. Read full review

View more reviews for Broken English on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 15+ Edgy girl-meets-boy indie for older teens and up.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this indie has more heft than the typical romantic comedy. Though it has funny moments -- the awkward dates are right on -- it also has dark undertones that may prove a little too murky for young teens. The difficulties of dating life aren't glossed over; they're excruciatingly detailed (maybe a little too excruciatingly). Sex (non-explicit) and swearing are casual, as are pill-popping and drinking -- which characters appear to indulge in not just as a social lubricant but also to dull their senses so they don't feel the pain.
  • Families can talk about how romantic love is portrayed in the media -- and how that shapes people's expectations. Does it set up both men and women for a big fall? Are men and women really that different in terms of what they want out of relationships? Families can also discuss whether there's any truth to the cliché that you have to know yourself to love someone else. If so, then why?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Nora's a mess -- she pops prescription pills when she's about to have an anxiety attack or a meltdown; she's dismissive of (and rude to) her co-workers; her best friend ridicules her own marriage; and some of the men she dates are users. Also, infidelity and drug use are hinted at.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Just Nora mentally beating up on herself.
  • sex false3 Sex: Nora and her dates sleep together, sometimes on the first date (lots of kissing, but no actual nudity). Heavy petting and kissing, and some post-coital cuddling. One scene in which a couple bathes together (only their bare shoulders are visible above the water line). Married characters flirt with each other (the assumption is that they hook up).
  • language false3 Language: Occasional profanity like "s--t" and "d--n."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not much, really, though the movie could be an advertisement for Paris, with its longing gazes at the streetscape.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false5 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Yes, yes and yes. Characters smoke weed in once scene, drink a lot (tequila, vodka with a twist), and smoke cigarettes.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

2.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

God, this movie is a drag. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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