49
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75UproxxVince ManciniUproxxVince ManciniThe film doesn’t try to alter Berg’s most essential quality, that he was a mystery.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThis is a very enjoyable middle-of-the-road adventure, especially for moviegoers willing to see just about anything starring Rudd.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreThe movie is imminently watchable, and the surface sheen is fine, but the real Berg remains more mystery than man with a mission.
- 60The GuardianJordan HoffmanThe GuardianJordan HoffmanThe film isn’t a home run, but with Rudd in the lead in something so out of the ordinary for him, it’s fair to call a ground rule double.
- 50VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyThere’s a curious lack of credibility and urgency in this big-screen adaptation, the kind of respectable near-miss that can happen when worthy talent apply themselves to a project they’re just not ideally suited for.
- 50Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenAs the film proceeds, the appeal of its nostalgia wears thin and you may notice that there isn't much beyond the window dressing.
- 50Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanIronically, the film is conspicuous not for its brio but its blandness.
- 40The New YorkerRichard BrodyThe New YorkerRichard BrodyThe script, by Robert Rodat, skips around in time to elucidate the amped-up drama, but it never gets close to Berg’s own character. The film, directed by Ben Lewin, strongly suggests that Berg was gay, but leaves the theme undeveloped.
- 25The PlaylistJordan RuimyThe PlaylistJordan RuimyThe spy genre is a tricky business, because the tempo and flow of the film must adapt to numerous different scenarios and narrative changes. In Lewin’s movie, however, the ever-changing intricacies of Dawidoff’s book are rendered flat, unappealing and messy.