Catch and ReleaseMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Catch and Release."

Gifts + Promos

Fandango Gift Card

Give the gift of movies with Fandango Bucks Gift Certificates! Design your own gift card, or choose from our collection.

Avengers Gift Cards

Superhero fans! Don’t miss out on these Limited Edition Avengers gift cards!

Need Help?
So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 43 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 Iffy for 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

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

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub

    Rough around the edges, but once you get used to the laconic pace, the plot grooves along nicely. Read full review

  • 60
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    Although I find the term "chick flick" odious, I imagine that Columbia Pictures regards Catch and Release as exactly that, although there are signs that Ms. Grant was reaching for something more layered and subtle than the usual fairy-tale formula Read full review

  • 60
    Los Angeles Times | Kevin Crust

    An oddly appealing, if innocuous, movie of considerable charm. Read full review

  • 50
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Gray says she hates fishermen who catch and release: Getting jerked around hurts the jaw. See this movie and you'll know the feeling. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety |

    A so-so romantic dramedy. Read full review

  • 50
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    There's a funkier and more interesting movie in Maureen, a character played by Juliette Lewis. Maureen is a single mom, a massage therapist, and a dimwit California follower of every new-age theory out there. She's a nasal, needy wreck, and Catch and Release is torn between adoring her and making ruthless fun of her. Read full review

  • 42
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    I just don't know any chick who will make sense of this flick -- it's that blitheringly out of touch with present psychosexual (never mind feminist) time and space. Read full review

  • 40
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    Throughout, Garner retains a permanent grimace, as if persuasive acting can be achieved by contorting cheek muscles and pouting lips. It's not just depressing to watch; it's tiring. We want to tell her to relax -- for our own relief. Read full review

  • 40
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    The film suffers from a style that settles for pleasant or touching at the cost of spontaneous or impassioned. Too bad, because Ms. Garner is a genuinely pleasing presence. Read full review

  • 38
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Catch and Release is not worth catching. Release yourself from boredom by giving it a miss. Read full review

View more reviews for Catch and Release on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Mostly forgettable romantic comedy for teens+.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this isn't your typical romantic comedy. After the main character's fiancé dies on the eve of her wedding day, she discovers that her husband-to-be hid the facts that he was a millionaire and had fathered a child with another woman. Out of grief, the characters act recklessly and have casual sex, overeat to the point of gluttony, and frequently get drunk. Tweens might initially want to see this because of Jennifer Garner's popular comedy 13 Going on 30, but this "chick flick" features very mature themes like death, infidelity, and deceit.
  • Families can talk about the many ways that people keep secrets. What would have happened if Grady hadn't died? In what ways are all the characters different than they first seem? After the funeral, how do Grady's best friends help support Gray? What are some examples of the characters acting selflessly? How is this movie similar to and different from other romantic comedies? What elements do most romantic comedies have in common?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Characters learn to look past their preconceived notions of each other.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: A woman slaps a man twice out of anger; he responds by forcibly holding her hands against a wall. They then kiss.
  • sex false3 Sex: At his close friend's funeral reception, a man has sex with the caterer in the bathroom. Two main characters share a passionate kiss and have sex several times, but it's never more explicit than the standard shot of the man's bare chest and the woman's naked shoulders under the sheets. A woman gives a man a comical full-body massage, and it's implied that she touches his genitals before immediately apologizing and stopping. A child born as the result of an affair is a central part of the storyline.
  • language false3 Language: Occasional use of strong language, including "s--t," "bulls--t," "s--tcan," and other mild obscenities: "damn," "ass," "assface," "jackass."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Sam works at the herbal-tea company Celestial Seasonings, and the brand's logo is prominently displayed on T-shirts, mugs, and around the company's offices. He also frequently quotes the famous adages printed on the tea boxes. Gray drives a Subaru Outback wagon in several scenes. A 3-year-old has a Happy Meal.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: The grief-stricken characters self-medicate with alcohol -- Scotch, wine, beer, vodka, you name it. One character takes prescribed drugs to sleep and later gets drunk at a bar and wakes up with a severe hangover. Another character drinks to excess on several occasions and ends up hospitalized after mixing vodka and sedatives. One character smokes a joint after having sex.
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

0.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

The action goes nowhere. Or else it goes fishing. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

Read more movie reviews at Movies.com

Catch and Release Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 3,059 fan reviews

Critics say

So-so See all critic reviews

Facebook Movie Fans

Fan Fandango on Facebook