59
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenThe Playroom captures the malaise of mid-’70s suburbia with a merciless accuracy not seen since Ang Lee’s 1997 film, “The Ice Storm.”
- 80Village VoiceVillage VoiceThe Playroom jettisons all things cute, but still takes flight by portraying the characters, adult and juvenile, under direct lighting, and asking you if you care about them.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckA rare example of a grown-up story compellingly told from the perspective of children, The Playroom is a modest gem.
- 60Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfThe precedent for a movie like this is Ang Lee’s bruised "The Ice Storm," but whereas that film sprung from a novel that burns with indictment, Julia Dyer’s effort — scripted by her late sister, Gretchen — is a more open-ended affair and slightly unsatisfying for it.
- The drama often feels posed and inert. Even so, it strikes more than a few chords as it digs deeper than period cliché.
- 50Slant MagazineSlant MagazineLacking much in the way of character depth, the film attempts to fill the gap with melodrama.
- 50VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibAlthough Dyer's sophomore feature clearly intends to capture the magical otherness of a child's p.o.v., nothing in her strangely aloof mise-en-scene or her late sister Gretchen's script yields anything more than a group of well-thesped, believable suburban kids upset by their parents' behavior.
- 42The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayMore than anything, The Playroom feels like an excuse to explore this retro house from a child’s point of view—which is perfectly okay, provided no one breaks the spell by talking.
- 38New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithThe tone of The Playroom is one of soppy moroseness. This imitation “Ice Storm” is as refreshing as a step into a puddle of slush.
- 30NPRScott TobiasNPRScott TobiasBetween the loaded conversations and metaphors, and the phony overlay of a children's fairy tale, The Playroom can't stop telegraphing themes and interpreting itself. There's nothing left for the audience to do.