Critic Reviews
72
Metascore
Generally Favorable
positive
8(89%)
mixed
1(11%)
negative
0(0%)
Showing 9 Critic Reviews
Oct 21, 2014
80
An exemplary mystery, a paranoid thriller rooted in contemporary technology but not crafted to denounce it.
Oct 23, 2014
80
A thoughtful, emotionally tricky debut benefitting from two strong lead performances.
Oct 20, 2014
75
It showcases a genuine fascination with the mind/body split engendered by Skyping, online dating, and constant app usage through a plot that doesn't fuel itself on received wisdom.
Oct 23, 2014
75
The Heart Machine’s denouement is ultimately disappointing, but the film is still one of the more successful cinematic portrayals of online intimacy.
Oct 24, 2014
75
The Heart Machine lies somewhere between the AOL love letter “You’ve Got Mail” and the more cautionary “Her” on the issue of what effect all this technology is having on society.
Oct 26, 2014
75
While Wigon's film lacks emotional weight, that deficiency is not a matter of style over substance, but an effective comment on the peculiarly isolating nature of modern communication technology.
Oct 22, 2014
70
Except for its ending, which deflates the tension and makes a brief gesture toward profundity, it’s an unblinking look at one man’s total unraveling.
Oct 23, 2014
70
Thoroughly modern without being ostentatious about it, and featuring excellent performances from Kate Lyn Sheil and John Gallagher Jr., the film boasts pleasures more formal than narrative.
Oct 23, 2014
60
This New York drama in some ways finds new names for age-old insecurities among men and women, though it doesn’t entirely deliver on its promising buildup.
