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Movies / On DVD / The Amateurs
The Amateurs

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The Amateurs (2007)

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Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:4

Rotten:20

Average Rating:3.9/10

Consensus: The Amateurs is a largely unfunny sex comedy that squanders a talented cast.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for sexual content and language

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:2006

Synopsis: Sex sells in America and these guys know it. When Andy (Jeff Bridges) discovers that his ex-wife has married an extremely wealthy man who is now his son’s “cool” stepfather, he becomes motivated to... Sex sells in America and these guys know it. When Andy (Jeff Bridges) discovers that his ex-wife has married an extremely wealthy man who is now his son’s “cool” stepfather, he becomes motivated to make a change in his life. With the help of his friends (Ted Danson, Joe Pantoliano) a small town group of loveable losers, they hit upon an idea to make their dreams come true. The grand plan that will lead to a life of riches and fame is to make the world’s most innocent adult film. Everyman’s fantasy turns into a hilarious misadventure when they find that they’re way in over their heads. --© First Look Pictures [More]

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Tim Blake Nelson, Joe Pantoliano, William Fichtner

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Tim Blake Nelson, Joe Pantoliano, William Fichtner, Ted Danson, Patrick Fugit, John Hawkes, Brad Henke, Glenne Headly, Tom Bower, Lauren Graham, Jeanne Tripplehorn

Director: Michael Traeger

Director: Michael Traeger
Studio: First Look

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Release:

Feb 12, 2008

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Reviews for The Amateurs

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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ultimately heartwarming and humorous enough to merit a recommendation

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
07/23/08
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

...ultimately finds itself unable to hold the viewer's interest for more than a few minutes at a time.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
06/20/08
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/19/08
Robert Koehler
Robert Koehler
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Amateurs had all the potential in the world to be a charming, oddball delight, but it's a mess. A horrible mess. Albeit a horrible mess with some big laughs and the evergreen presence of Jeff Bridges.

Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
01/30/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
DVDTalk.com

The only burst of creativity is the number of euphemisms Traeger has for pussy ("fruit cup" was my favorite)

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
01/29/08
Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly

All this star power goes for naught in Traeger's film, which tries to blend bucolic sweetness with juvenile let's-make-a-porno jokes.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
01/18/08
Marc Mohan
Marc Mohan
Oregonian

It ranges from awkward to excruciating.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
12/14/07
Mark Rahner
Mark Rahner
Seattle Times

The chief virtue of Amateurs is that it gives many talented people (Valerie Perrine, Judy Greer, Lauren Graham, Tim Blake Nelson) a scene or two in which to shine.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
12/14/07
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

This sort of thing was done much better by the British years ago in The Full Monty and Calendar Girls. There's really no call for an American rehash.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
12/13/07
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A sleazy, uninspired, pathetically unfunny sex farce.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
12/13/07
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A strong ensemble cast spruces up a weak script in this trifle...the little picture that, ultimately, doesn't.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
12/11/07
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Do not waste your time with The Amateurs.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
12/10/07
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Amateurs has been shelved for a number of years because -- just a ballpark guess here -- it's not funny.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
12/07/07
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

Potential laughs are largely lost due to the one-note nature of the characters.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
12/07/07
Chad Greene
Chad Greene
Boxoffice Magazine

There are no laughs to be found in writer-director Michael Traeger's would-be comedy The Amateurs, but there is one big mystery: how actors of this caliber could have been convinced to take part.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
12/07/07
Dennis Lim
Dennis Lim
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's just not much fun to watch first time director Michael Traeger aim for Capra-esque comedy and wind up closer to crap.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
12/06/07
Geoff Berkshire
Geoff Berkshire
Metromix.com

As a writer, Traeger is consternatingly adolescent and glib.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
12/06/07
Hazel-Dawn Dumpert
Hazel-Dawn Dumpert
L.A. Weekly

The Amateurs turns out to be a mini-classic of sweet vulgarity, much in the vicinity if not the exact class of the recent spate of the Judd Apatow canon.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
12/05/07
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

You'll notice that the actors are way overqualified for this nonsense. But the kick they get out of one another is what pulls you in.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
09/07/06
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If there’s something hypocritically coy about a sex comedy without sex (let alone a porn industry without victims), there’s also something refreshing about the characters’ unabashed good nature -- at least until the grievously saccharine finale.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
05/06/06
Ben Walters
Ben Walters
Time Out
 
 
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