65
Metascore
36 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottMr. Krokidas deftly shows how the ambition to write is entangled with other impulses.
- 87Film.comJordan HoffmanFilm.comJordan HoffmanIt transcends the usual biopic limitations to tell a specific story about some well-known people with larger, universal implications.
- 80The GuardianDamon WiseThe GuardianDamon WiseThough it begins as a murder-mystery, Kill Your Darlings may be best described as an intellectual moral maze, a story perfectly of its time and yet one that still resonates today.
- 70VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangDirected with an assured sense of style that pushes against the narrow confines of its admittedly fascinating story, John Krokidas’ first feature feels adventurous yet somewhat hemmed-in.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThere’s a limber, freewheeling aspect to the storytelling that echoes the rule-breaking literary form of the Beat writers.
- 60The TelegraphRobbie CollinThe TelegraphRobbie CollinUnlike Walter Salles’s recent adaptation of On The Road, which embraced the Beat philosophy with a wide and credulous grin, Kill Your Darlings is inquisitive about the movement’s worth, and the genius of its characters is never assumed.
- 58The PlaylistRodrigo PerezThe PlaylistRodrigo PerezWell shot and well made, Kill Your Darlings is a very competently constructed effort on a whole, but there’s an emptiness and familiarity at its core that it cannot transcend.
- 50Slant MagazineSlant MagazineAn overmatched star and a scarcity of eccentricity sink this hip-lit origen story from director John Krokidas.
- 40Time OutEric HynesTime OutEric HynesThere’s a heart here, but with all the superficial noise, it’s hard to hear it beating.
- 40Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonKill Your Darlings is an undernourished and over-emphatic film.