74
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Slant MagazineSlant MagazineThe plot is pure pulp, inspired in equal parts by the tropes and imagery of film noir, grand opera, and silent melodrama.
- 80Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlThe early scenes, of the couple falling for each other, offer more inspired gorgeous wonder than late Malick films, and the emotions are more piercing.
- 80The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottMr. Plympton rewrites the laws of physics at will, but within a rigorous and coherent logic. He conjures a world of absolute improbability that, somehow, makes perfect sense.
- A welcome reminder that the art of animation is too protean to be limited to a single visual style, medium or point of view.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinThe Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinSinuous sequences where one object morphs into another are his stock and trade, and that strength is on ample display in Cheatin’.
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyThe writer-director-producer’s pulsing, pencil-etched, pastel-hued animation style is a pleasure to behold as ever.
- 70The DissolveMike D'AngeloThe DissolveMike D'AngeloPlympton manages to keep it lively with one stunningly kinetic setpiece after another, many of which could easily be airlifted out of the picture to function as stand-alone shorts.
- 58The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerThe A.V. ClubJesse HassengerAs is, Cheatin’ offers little narrative or emotional advantage over watching a series of the director’s more concise works. At 76 minutes, it should play like a short feature. Instead, it’s more like an extra-long short.
- Still, with a story this weak, arguing that the illustrations look cool feels like a cheat.