Why Stop Now (2012)
Average Rating: 4.3/10
Reviews Counted: 20
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 15
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 4/10
Critic Reviews: 10
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 8
No consensus yet.
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Average Rating: 2.7/5
User Ratings: 2,288
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Movie Info
Eli (Jesse Eisenberg) is a piano prodigy. Today is the audition that will determine his future-- will he launch a career and take off into the world? Or will he stay stuck, caring for his sister and mother (Melissa Leo) who, despite her cheerful, loving disposition, is a drug addict. The only obstacle to a seamless transition into his future is dropping off Mom off at the center where she will enter rehab, but a glitch in the system forces sends them off to enlist the help of an unlikely ally,
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All Critics (20) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (5) | Rotten (15)
First-time directors Phil Dorling and Ron Nyswaner can't find a coherent emotional tone, and the actors' energetic contortions can't keep the sinking story afloat.
Top CriticDrug abuse stories are to Hollywood what babies are to mothers: fascinating to the talkers, not so interesting for their audiences.
Feels trapped in the limbo between comedy and drama where many indies gamely venture, but from which few emerge with any resonance.
As "Why Stop Now?" gathers momentum, the increasingly uneasy sensation it produces is not unlike that of being in the back seat of a speeding car whose drunken driver refuses to give up the wheel.
Why Stop Now refuses to keep faith with its characters, to carry them as far as they can go without tying them up in a neat bow of redemption.
This comic drama tries too hard to serve up a slice of manic life, but Eisenberg, along with Tracy Morgan and Isiah Whitlock Jr. as the affable druggies, provides some spark.
An odd mix of blatantly comedic moments and strangely serious scenes, Why Stop Now finds itself stranded on an odd middle ground between comedy and drama.
Young man's very bad day includes drugs, swearing, more.
The alleged comedy 'Why Stop Now' is here to prove that when it tries really, really hard to be awful it can overcome the obstacle of having a terrific cast.
Boasts such a diverse cast of recognizable faces that you have to wonder where it all went wrong..a half-hearted tale that should land with more impact than it does.
Each actor is adept at twisting a line or bit of spectacular illogic so gasps turn to laughs.
Fast-paced and driven by Eisenberg, again finding varying dimensions in a twitchy character that isn't a repeat of his past roles.
It's handsome, well-paced, and nicely acted, but suffers from a fatal lack of purpose, as if Dorling and Nyswaner couldn't commit to whatever movie they wanted to make.
Shifting between wacky situation comedy and somber familial drama, Why Stop Now? isn't invested enough in either mode to convincingly pull off its genre-hopping ambitions.
Delivers just enough laughs to remain recommended, despite the fact that this hard to pigeonhole head-scratcher would have benefited from making a total commitment to either comedy or a drama.
Isn't very funny or poignant, drifting somewhere in between while the actors make the best out of a lackluster storytelling situation.
Audience Reviews for Why Stop Now
Super Reviewer
Decent Movie! It's really a movie that is mostly being carried by its characters and the actors who are portraying them. It might seem like an odd choice for Oscar nominated and winning actors such as Jesse Eisenberg and Melissa Leo to be in this little film but I can definitely see why they wanted to be in it. It's simply being a true actor's movie, in which they are truly able to shine, without having the pressure of a big budget and high expectations and Hollywood producers constantly breathing down their necks. The movie overall is nothing special but it is entertaining and if you are looking for a mindless movie to put in and enjoy then this is a decent choice.
The story of Eli Smith (Jesse Eisenberg), a piano prodigy, dealing with his troubled mother, Penny (Melissa Leo), and enlisting help from a hapless drug dealer, Sprinkles (Tracy Morgan), on the day he has an audition for a prestigious music program. Events spiral comically out of control as this gang of misfits faces the mistakes of the past, the challenges of the future, and the possibilities of love.
Super Reviewer
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Foreign Titles
- Why Stop Now (DE)
- Why Stop Now (UK)
