56
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Los Angeles TimesMichael OrdoñaLos Angeles TimesMichael OrdoñaHard Luck Love Song is a happy but gritty marriage of material, filmmaker and star. Much is asked of Dorman, and he delivers all.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperChicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMichael Dorman (virtually unrecognizable and about 40 pounds lighter than when he played Gordo Stevens in the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind) channels James-Dean-meets-Stephen-Dorff in a mesmerizingly good performance as Jesse, a charming bounder who has a good heart and some talent as a singer-songwriter but is always getting in his own way and stepping in some serious, um, stuff.
- 75IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichJustin Corsbie’s debut would buy you a drink if you couldn’t afford one, hustle you for a hundred bucks in the backroom if you could, and leave you with a big hug on the way out either way just cause it was so grateful not to spend the night alone.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThat the film proves engrossing throughout is due largely to Michael Dorman (For All Mankind), in the central role of Jesse.
- 50The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyCorsbie has filmmaking energy to spare but also makes many undergrad errors.
- 50Austin ChronicleJenny NulfAustin ChronicleJenny NulfBased on the folky country song “Just Like Old Times” by Todd Snider, the film feels like a throwback to the heyday of Austin: eclectic acoustic guitars, dingy pool halls, dive bars with fountains of whiskey, neon signs, and lots and lot of late-night tacos.
- 42The PlaylistAsher LubertoThe PlaylistAsher LubertoThere’s a wealth of talent involved in this film, not the least of which is Snider himself. Unfortunately, Hard Luck Love Song doesn’t capture the essence of the musical source material, though one could argue there isn’t much emotional heft in the song to begin with.
- 30VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonInstead of persuasive verisimilitude and compelling character development, we get scene after scene of Jesse waiting for something, anything.