An engaging romantic quadrangle.
Comment
03/02/07
Puccini for Beginners (2007)
50
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:60
Fresh:30
Rotten:30
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: A Woody Allen-ish film that needs more of the caustic wit expected from the best New York rom coms.
Theatrical Release:Feb 2, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: Everyone is love-crazed in Maria Maggenti's delightfully quick-witted screwball comedy, Puccini for Beginners; but Allegra Castiglione–our dashing, adorable heroine–is by far the most commitment... [More]
Starring: Elizabeth Reaser, Gretchen Mol, Justin Kirk, Jennifer Dundas
Director: Maria Maggenti
Get This Movie
Reviews for Puccini for Beginners
There's a drag on this film, and that's the character of the protagonist, Allegra. She's just not a nice person, which could have been OK, except it seems as though she's supposed to be.
03/02/07
Top CriticIt may not be the real world of New York, or even of most relationships, but it's worth a visit.
03/02/07
Proving that a movie called Puccini For Beginners actually can be as deeply pretentious as its title implies, Puccini For Beginners attempts to pick up the torch once carried by Woody Allen for the romantic comedy of ideas.
03/01/07
Top CriticThe movie offers a charming view of a small-town Manhattan where strangers constantly give Allegra romantic advice. Though that device is a little too indebted to Woody Allen, at least Maggenti does Allen a lot better than Ed Burns.
03/01/07
Top CriticA more apt moniker would be Romantic Comedy for Dummies.
02/17/07
This is billed as a comedy and there are some very funny moments. The writing is crisp and believable.
02/13/07
I felt at times I was watching a melange of 'Scrubs', 'Sex in the City', and the sensational Ethan Hawke/Julie Delpy tandem of 'Before Sunrise' and 'Before Sunset'.
02/13/07
Sexual identities and attractions may blur, but the rules of romantic comedies must be strictly followed.
02/10/07
A mostly agreeable comedy of the screwball sort, enlivened by some good acting, smart dialogue and an impassioned desire to stretch viewers' notions of lesbian love beyond what they see on Desperate Housewives.
02/09/07
[Director] Maggenti offers a cute variation on the classic Hollywood 'comedy of remarriage.'
02/09/07
If Woody Allen were a young, attractive gay woman, he might make something like this, or so Maggenti hopes. But it would probably be funnier, and it would definitely cut deeper.
02/09/07
Painfully pleased with its own cleverness, of which there isn't much...
02/09/07
The filmmaker's niftiest trick is in making a group of neurotic, self-involved, overly verbal people so engaging.
02/08/07
A sharp-witted romantic comedy that takes the old Woody Allen screwball style and mood and amusingly applies them to a story about tangled gay and straight relationships in modern Manhattan.
02/08/07
Top CriticPretty much epitomizes pseudo-intellectual. It's crammed with articulate, well-off literary types who never actually sound like they know what they're talking about.
02/08/07
For fans desperate for a funny new romantic comedy, and willing to expand their definitions of just what a date movie might entail, Puccini for Beginners offers a good 101 introduction to the genre.
02/07/07
Top CriticA number of scenes in the film are charming and engaging, with a genuinely unforced lightheartedness, and that takes more than a little expertise on the part of Ms. Maggenti, as well as her cast and other collaborators.
02/07/07
Top CriticReal pleasure comes in small, refreshing doses in Puccini for Beginners.
02/07/07
Top CriticDisappoints somewhat but is still worth a look.
02/05/07
Latest News for Puccini for Beginners
February 01, 2007:
Critical Consensus: "Because" Is Less Than So-So; "Messengers" Not Screened -- Guess The Tomatometer!
This week at the movies, we've got mother/daughter conflict ("Because I Said So," starring Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore) and dark proceedings on a North Dakota... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Best Sci-Fi This Decade 
Techland lists the best Sci-Fi films of this decade.
40 Worst Films of the 2000s
Moviefone takes a look back at the biggest stinkers of the past 10 years.
10 Questions For Zac Efron
The Me and Orson Welles star answers reader questions on TIME.com.
Best Decade Ever!
Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill offers his thoughts on what the best decade for film was.
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
In the AV Club's "Scenic Routes," Mike D'Angelo reminisces about the Tim Burton film.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds