62
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83The PlaylistGabe ToroThe PlaylistGabe ToroDirector Shaka King has made a film of big laughs and big heart that makes one long for one long green detour without pandering to the pot-hawks who, unrelatedly, also like the lowest-common-denominator appeal of most pot films without realizing they’re being patronized.
- 80Village VoiceNick SchagerVillage VoiceNick SchagerDebut writer-director Shaka King dramatizes her characters' descent into disarray with disarming intimacy.
- 70The DissolveAndrew LapinThe DissolveAndrew LapinThe movie has a certain dark charm, and often feels like early Spike Lee in its energetic depiction of working-class Bed-Stuy folk.
- 70Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert AbeleThe sights, sounds and sociological quirks of Lyle's and Nina's particular circle of existence are what give Newlyweeds its indie resonance, less a city symphony than an urban alt-fugue.
- 63Slant MagazineSlant MagazineGoing neither in the direction of Reefer Madness nor a Cheech and Chong movie, it's both funny and serious, and its depictions of pot-smoking could be read as either promotional or cautionary.
- 60New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanDespite the hard lessons learned, King seems to have a pretty deep appreciation for Lyle and Nina’s drug of choice — and you’ll probably enjoy the movie a little more if you feel the same. Just think twice if you’re planning to sneak some homemade brownies into the theater when you see it.
- 58The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyAt times, it’s surprisingly compelling, thanks to King’s surefooted direction of actors and well-honed formal sense; while the movie’s execution never quite makes up for its conception, it does elevate it above, well, just being the sort of movie that would be called Newlyweeds.
- 50The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenNewlyweeds, for all its freshness, never really lands. It remains suspended in a haze of secondhand smoke.
- 40Time OutTime OutNewlyweeds looks and sounds primo. Storytelling-wise, however, it’s more than one toke over the line.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweThe Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweWriter-director Shaka King clearly knows this world, perhaps too well, but making pot use, or denial, the focus of nearly every scene becomes tedious.