--- title: "A Long Way Down: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-long-way-down/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/a-long-way-down" critics_score: 40 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # A Long Way Down (2014): what the critics said Critics' score 40 from 16 reviews: 1 positive, 6 mixed, 9 negative. Most critics find A Long Way Down an unconvincing adaptation, with its attempts at reassurance and broad comedy poorly suited to a story about suicidal despair. The praise clusters around individual performances rather than the writing: Toni Collette receives repeated credit for bringing warmth and emotional weight to thin material, while Pierce Brosnan’s casting and grumpy humour earn some approval. Those strengths rarely persuade the reviews that the film handles its subject with enough care. The main divide concerns whether the friendship offers sufficient humanity to offset the sentimentality. IndieWire is the clearest supporter, finding an unconventional, humane alternative to formulaic romance despite problems with pacing. The Guardian also finds a genial film that retains some of the novel’s bittersweet tone. More hostile reviews regard the humour as forced and the treatment of suicide as trivialising; even several mixed assessments question the characters’ credibility and the uneasy balance of comedy and tragedy. ## IndieWire — Tara Karajica Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 February 2014. Festival review. The critic finds the film a worthwhile, unconventional alternative to formulaic Valentine’s Day romances, despite pacing issues and a forced happy ending. She singles out its humane portrayal of friendship and affection among four troubled people for praise. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/from-berlin-with-love-how-nick-hornbys-a-long-way-down-starring-aaron-paul-and-imogen-poots-rejects-the-conventions-of-valentines-day-29956/) ## Screen Daily — Mark Adams Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 10 February 2014. The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no praise or complaint beyond identifying the film. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/a-long-way-down/5066511.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be reliably identified from the supplied text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/11/movies/a-long-way-down-a-suicide-pact-comedy.html) ## The Guardian — Andrew Pulver Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 10 February 2014. Festival review. Pulver finds the adaptation genial and lightweight, retaining much of the novel’s bittersweet tone. He praises Pierce Brosnan’s casting but notes that the rush to a neat ending sacrifices some of the book’s intricacies. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/feb/10/a-long-way-down-review-berlin-film-festival-2014) ## The AV Club — Mike D'Angelo Rating C. 10 July 2014. The critic finds the adaptation tonally inconsistent and unconvincing about why its characters should keep living. He singles out Imogen Poots’s abrasive performance as a welcome counterpoint to Aaron Paul’s dull brooding. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/nick-hornby-s-a-long-way-down-gets-a-tonally-uneven-ada-1798180869) ## Time Out — Cath Clarke Rating 2/5. 18 March 2014. Clarke finds the film disappointing, calling it hokey and fake. She singles out the novel’s playful premise as a problem for the adaptation. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-long-way-down) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Rating 1.5/4. 6 July 2014. Bowen finds the film inept and emotionally hollow, arguing that it reduces suicide to a shallow obstacle in a redemption tale. He faults its loss of Nick Hornby’s humanist delicacy and singles out Imogen Poots’s unvarying mannerisms as an additional weakness. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/a-long-way-down/) ## Sight and Sound — Demetrios Matheou Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 10 February 2014. Festival review. Matheou finds the adaptation daft and emotionally unconvincing, with its feelgood approach ill-suited to its subject. He praises a few good lines, especially Brosnan’s grumpy observation, but says the humour is mostly broad and forced. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/news/soft-landing-suicide-comedy-long-way-down) ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 28 February 2014. The critic finds the film a depressing, tone-deaf failure that trivialises despair. She particularly faults its simplistic treatment of suicide and its inability to make the story amusing. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/long-way-review/) ## Evening Standard — The Standard Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 11 February 2014. The critic finds the adaptation ham-fisted and says it crashes and burns. They single out the film’s failure to find the story’s black humour, with Neil’s brief cameo the exception for comic timing. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/a-long-way-down-film-review-9120539.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Leslie Felperin Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 10 February 2014. Festival review. Felperin pans the film as a misjudged, increasingly absurd comedy. She singles out Toni Collette’s warmth and awkward grace as the one performance that nearly saves it. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/a-long-way-down-berlin-678785/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 11 February 2014. Festival review. Debruge pans the adaptation as tacky and trivializing, criticizing its treatment of suicide as a source of easy laughs. He singles out the implausible plot and greeting-card platitudes as especially unconvincing. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/markets-festivals/berlin-film-review-a-long-way-down-1201097227/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2014. Festival review. The URL identifies this as a Berlin review of the specified film, but the page content is blocked. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined from the available text. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/berlin-review-a-long-way-down-starring-pierce-brosnan-toni-collette-imogen-poots-aaron-paul-20140212/) ## Paste — Christine N. Ziemba Rating 6.2/10. 14 July 2014. Ziemba finds the film unsuccessful, criticizing its superficial characters and overly sentimental ending for mishandling depression and suicide. She praises Toni Collette’s performance as Maureen, whom she identifies as the film’s emotional core. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/a-long-way-down) ## Digital Spy — Emma Dibdin Rating 2/5. 21 March 2014. Dibdin finds the film glib, grating, and unsuccessful, faulting its treatment of suicide as a MacGuffin. She praises Toni Collette’s performance, while noting that Aaron Paul’s late speech briefly gives the subject matter needed weight. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a558624/a-long-way-down-review-aaron-paul-stars-in-glib-grating-misfire/) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Rating 1/5. 17 March 2014. Pape finds the film unsuccessful, citing its failure to balance comedy and tragedy. He particularly criticizes the irritating, poorly written characters, which make it difficult to care about their struggles. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/a-long-way-down-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/a-long-way-down.md