Subscribe
Katie Holmes has premiered two movies at the Sundance Film Festival – The Extra Man and The Romantics.
The reviews are in and I thought the best way to do this was to do a round-up of the reviews, with links to the articles. Some are positive and some are negative, so read what you like and disregard the ones you don’t! 
The Extra Man Reviews:
Screen Crave: The Extra Man seems a perfect film to be screened at Sundance; it centers around odd individuals living on the fringe of society, gracefully managing to make a niche for themselves in a world that would just as soon ignore them. That sounds like a metaphor for independent film if I’ve ever heard one.
Dark Horizons: Few films I have noticed at Sundance have paid as much attention to script as this exquisite adaptation of Jonathan Ames’ novel “The Extra Man”.
The New York Times: “The Extra Man” collects eccentric characters like an antiques dealer collects aging objects.
Cinema Blend: Given the starry cast, The Extra Man will probably get picked up before too long, and can sell itself based on Kline’s hammy performance, Dano’s sensitive one, and the promise of seeing a lot of weird stuff in a short running time. But The Extra Man is primarily a giant disappointment, proof that quirk without direction or purpose can feel just as boring as a story about more ordinary people.
The Romantics:
Hollywood Reporter: So one enjoys “Romantics” for the genre trappings — the inebriated toasts, feverish gossiping, unexpected trysts, the de rigueur wedding dress snafu and bright lines that cut through the mood of sentimentality and nostalgia.
Salt Lake Magazine: Rush out and grab the soundtrack when the movie’s released but wait for The Romantics to come out on Netflix (#39). Stock up on Yellow Tail Shiraz, invite some of your favorite white/couple friends over, bake some bruschetta and let the good times roll.
Reuters: Landing somewhere between a generational comedy and soap opera, the film is forgettable fun. All the characters could use more definition, which is surprising given that Niederhoffer has adapted her novel. One would imagine there would have been ample material to flesh out her wedding party for the big screen.
Screen Daily: As might be expected from its setup, The Romantics builds to a suspenseful finale concerning whether or not the wedding will actually happen. Throughout the film, Niederhoffer can sometimes overdo the melodrama, but she confidently guides her story to a conclusion that, though surprising, feels exactly right and entirely in keeping with her characters’ open-ended futures.
If you find anymore reviews, feel free to post the links and I’ll add them here. Thanks!
New York Post had a good review. Always thought that Katie was better at drama , she has that moody broody look. I’ve said it before, but anybody who saw Abandon , and watched Katie being interviewed for a job , would have said wow, it was a great scene, the close up her talking about herself was amazing. The Gift , Pieces of April(which I love), all drama .
She has started getting compliments again. I also think she’ll be good in Don’t Be Afraid of The Dark. and if it premiers here, I’ll be there for sure!
I do believe that both Tom and Katie have been through a few difficult times, and I also think that Katie lost her way or her identity there for a while.
As for the Extra Man that was when she was so thin, and her hair was so short, but apparently there is a scene in that movie where Katie sings to a concrete slab, she was criticised, because she is the one who is supposed to be normal in the movie , but singing to a concrete slab doesn’t sound too normal to me, so maybe she is odd in the movie as well.
Katie Holmes in ‘The Romantics’
It’s no secret that Katie Holmes has taken some time off from acting to take care of her young daughter, churning out only one forgettable performance (Mad Money) in the past five years. But now Holmes has proven how much she belongs in front of the camera after absolutely knocking my socks off in The Romantics, a Big Chill-ish type dramedy about a group of old friends who reunite for a wedding.
In the film, Holmes plays the Maid of Honor (to Anna Paquin, who turns in the film’s second best performance), though an old relationship with the soon-to-be groom (Josh Duhamel) begins to wedge itself into the marital festivities. Playing a girl who, on one hand, wants her old friend (and college roommate) to find happiness, but on the other can’t seem to shake the feelings she still has for her old flame, Holmes is equal amounts charming, sincere and emotionally explosive. She seriously makes the film, and I won’t be the only one who demands more from her after The Romantics eventually hits theaters (hopefully) later this year.
http://www.fandango.com/movieblog/sundance-surprises-malin-akerman-and-katie-holmes-588559.html
She has had GREAT reviews for The Romantics. I do believe that Katie is very talented but it is true that she is especially good at drama. She should focus on that. I am happy that she is getting considered again as a good and serious actress, instead of the wife of the movie star. I believe that she is very content with her life, she is indeed living the BIG life but I am sure she is happy to be back to being “the actress” and not just mom and wife of “XXXX”. All my Sons was also a very good choice, I went to see it to NY (I am from Southern Europe, so it was quite a trip) and I LOVED it. She held her own against theater powerhouses like Lithgow, Diane and Patrick