
Critic Reviews
54
Metascore
Mixed or Average
positive
2(22%)
mixed
6(67%)
negative
1(11%)
Showing 9 Critic Reviews
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All Reviews
Metascore
Metascore
Jan 10, 2013
90
There isn't a dishonest moment in Fairhaven, Tom O'Brien's piercing, wistful portrait of three longtime buddies in their mid-30s who reunite around a funeral in a southeastern Massachusetts fishing community.
Jan 10, 2013
63
O'Brien and his castmates seem to play loose with his script a bit more than they should in an effort to give the material a lived-in feeling.
Jan 9, 2013
60
Though its insights are slight-the movie feels as delicate and ephemeral as its sleepy winter surroundings - you can't help but admire the overall generousness O'Brien shows to his characters and performers.
Jan 10, 2013
60
Movies like this, from "Diner" to "Beautiful Girls" to "Garden State," have a standard trajectory, and this film's no different. But it has a nuance and a rumpled comfort with itself, which turns Fairhaven into an inviting place to visit.
Jan 10, 2013
60
While there's something undeniably fascinating about the way Fairhaven repeatedly avoids predictable payoffs for portentous dramatic setups, narrative momentum is conspicuous by its absence.
Jan 9, 2013
50
The film plays coy with its quintessential indie-dramedy setup, eschewing narrative and tension in favor of convivial character interplay and master shots of wintry landscapes.
Jan 9, 2013
42
Fairhaven's location is lovely. Its actors are terrific. All of them beg for something better.
Jan 8, 2013
40
Messina's performance has a lived-in, emotional messiness, but the film is nothing but clichés.
Jan 10, 2013
38
O'Brien also provided the lethargic direction and collaborated with Messina on the cliché-infested script, which is long on booze-filled confessions.