"Hoffman's actorly sensibility allows the film's best moments, expressed in gestures and non-verbal signifiers...."

A sweet romance, but its tone and characters are too flat and its direction too amateurish for it to have much of an impact.

28 octubre 2011 - Narració simple i personatges insulsos. Només en salvo alguna imatge. Esperava molt de Hoffman. La seva interpretació és minuciosa encara que el personatge i el guió siguin fluixos.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is awkward as fuck. In fact everyone in this movie is awkward as fuck. He seems like a child, getting taught everything to him. He seems to overcome this somewhat in the end. Nothing really happens though. It's a slow, quirky, independent style film. It's a nice debut by Hoffman (although it's not like it's his first time working in the industry, he's learned from the best). Hope he keeps on directing in the future.

An unremarkable, but decent directing debut for Philip Seymour Hoffman. The whole romance between Hoffman and Ryan was awkward, which I suppose set itself apart from other romances. And at least everything wasn't happy and golden, they actually had to go through some things that might happen in real life. Hoffman's performance was decent, but not his best, and in fact I felt he was outshined by John Ortiz's performance.

Hoffman has a long way too go, but he did manage to create a pleasant atmosphere, and I'm a sucker for all these small feel-good debuts made by well-known actors.

"It's not easy to adapt a stage play to the screen and make it seem like something other than canned theater, a problem directors have dealt with throughout the history of cinema." - Andrew Schenker

A quiet, understated, and unsensational romance, setting itself apart from typical Hollywood fare. It can't accurately be described as a rom-com, but the main characters are so awkward and sweet that it inevitably becomes a bit funny. The charm is balanced with moments of bittersweet sentiment, as the movie never loses sight of the pragmatism in the two contrasting relationships, one blooming and another on the verge of ending.

If anything, I am now confident that Hoffman can direct. I would LOVE to see him direct an original, that would be something incredible. Overall, Jack Goes Boating wasn't anything special - but damn if there weren't some absolutely great moments spread throughout. One thing Hoffman was able to do is develop a unique group of characters and, together with solid performances from the actors, make them all completely believable. I look forward to another PSH directing effort.

Script wasn't very much to work with, but Hoffman shouldn't abandon his acting career for directing any time soon. This film is formulaic relationship dramedy and the only thing that makes it unique is the age of its characters and target audience. Sometimes it gets dull, sometimes it's funny or sad, but there is nothing really good about it.

Hoffman proves a competent director. He knows how to portray his characters' traits in a convincing way and he has the enviable ability to pour much sugar and melodrama on us without slipping. His film is quietly quirky, sometimes underplayed and, like P.S.H. the actor, all in all just plain likeable.

Hoffman proves himself a completely capable director, taking a stage play and infusing it with a fantastic cinematic quality to accompany its bittersweet story.

Holy tragic hero, Batman. A noble effort by PSH, although sadly, not cinematic enough. Granted, it was based on a play, and while the scenes were taught, and the characters compelling, I can only listen to so much well-written dialogue before I long to see some action.

Very slow with some good acting but overall not a fantastic film.

Great directorial debut by Hoffman? Not quite. But it's charming enough.

#11#, story, (reviews), (dir Hoffman), PS Hoffman!

A strange and nice movie. Hoffman does a good job, not much to complain about.

Good.