Poster art for "Introducing the Dwights."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 50 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

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

  • 100
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    Among the many strengths of the sweetly touching Introducing the Dwights, a small gem from Australia unearthed at the Sundance Film Festival, is that Jean never becomes Godzilla. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    The movie belongs to Blethyn, who takes a difficult, easily misunderstood role and gracefully cracks it open to reveal what's inside. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Dennis Harvey

    Warm and entertaining enough, with Brenda Blethyn doing a variation on her "Little Voice" vulgarian amid appealing support perfs. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    For those seeking an alternative to giant robots and flying wizards, there's an amusing Australian comedy that might be just the right panacea for blockbuster overload. Read full review

  • 50
    New York Daily News | Jack Mathews

    If you find a movie with a more annoying central performance than the one given by Brenda Blethyn in Cherie Nowlan's Introducing the Dwights, keep it to yourself. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    Amusing only for its performances, including those of Chittenden and Wilson. The cast cannot hide the movie's derivative shortcomings, which only remind us that we've seen better and funnier elsewhere. Read full review

  • 50
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Sometimes Brenda Blethyn is content merely to nibble the scenery. In Introducing the Dwights, a drippy Australian family comedy caper, she chomps it to a pulp until we long for her straightforward monstrosity as a mother in "Little Voice." Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    A funny-sad, icky-sweet comedy of family dysfunction. Read full review

  • 40
    Wall Street Journal |

    Jean's material is so flat-out awful it's amazing she gets hired at all, let alone that she once supposedly had headliner potential. It's a discrepancy that Introducing the Dwights never addresses. Read full review

  • 38
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    Nothing about this movie works, not the title (it used to be called "Clubland "), not Blethyn's attempt to inject comedy into her rickety stereotype of a character. Read full review

View more reviews for Introducing the Dwights on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Uneven dysfunctional family dramedy for adults.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that although this Australian film is positioned as a quirky family comedy, it's actually quite dark. The main character is a comedienne who's trying to make a last run for stardom just as her sons become more independent, which leaves her feeling abandoned and threatened. A couple's frequent sex scenes are often fairly graphic (bare breasts, but no genitals), as is the language ("f--k," "s--t," and more). Characters drink freely, and their drinking leads to behavior they later regret (for example, a mother threatens to abandon her children and orders them out of her house).
  • Families can talk about what it's like to have a family member who's physically or mentally disabled. What kind of responsibilities and pressures does that add to the family dynamic? How do the Dwights rise to the occasion (or not)? How often do you see families like the Dwights on TV or in the movies? Also, what about Tim and Jill's relationship? Although it appears to revolve mostly around sex, it also seems quite loving, too -- is that realistic? Does it seem like they're rushing things?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The family at the heart of the movie is quite dysfunctional: The mother relies too much on her sons, and she also browbeats them and sometimes belittles them (especially when she's upset or drinking). Children lie to their parents to avoid upsetting them; a couple argues about sex (and has lots of it), and the girlfriend routinely tosses out offhand remarks about her body and what she doesn't like about it. On the other hand, the mother clearly cares about her children, too. And though she hits some deep lows, in the end, the family bands together and sins are forgiven -- which seems quite idealistic.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Jean melts down, throwing liquor bottles and other objects at people and walls. A truck gets into an accident, nearly hitting a key character. Tim fights loudly with his girlfriend.
  • sex false5 Sex: Plentiful, and plenty explicit. Everything from a couple kissing deeply in a car to scenes in which they're shown naked (breasts are bared, but no genitalia), astride each other or simulating oral sex. Bare breasts are flashed within the first 10 minutes of the movie.
  • language false5 Language: "F--k" is used liberally, as are "s--t," "asshole," "bitch," and other expletives.
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: One character works at a Midas garage, and the company logo is clearly visible on her uniform. Another is proud of his "Merc" (aka Mercedes Benz). There's also a fair amount of name-dropping, especially of big-name comedians and the clubs where they performed.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: In times of both joy and sorrow, the main characters reach for the bottle (and discuss having drunk too much). Afterward, they stagger around, sleep with one another, or fall into deep depressions. Some smoking in clubs.
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.

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Dave White

1.5

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Introducing the Dwights Movie Ratings + Reviews

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