Enter a Rotten Tomatoes movie slug to inspect the stored movie, batches, snapshots, and reviews.
Movie ID: 767
RT slug: the_half_of_it
RT URL: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_half_of_it
Release year: 2020
Runtime: 104 mins
Wide release date: —
Limited release date: —
Festival premiere date: —
Streaming release date: 2020-05-01
Tomatometer final: 97%
Audience score final: —
Genres: Comedy, LGBTQ+, Romance
Directors: Alice Wu
Writers: Alice Wu
Producers: Alice Wu, Anthony Bregman, M. Blair Breard
MPAA rating: PG-13
Executive Producers: —
Created: 2026-06-15 17:18:37
Updated: 2026-06-15 17:18:37
A shy, bookish student agrees to help a jock write love letters to a girl they both secretly admire.
—
Canonical reviews: 103
Canonical fresh: 100
Canonical rotten: 3
Canonical calculated Tomatometer: 97%
Latest snapshot UTC: 2026-06-15 15:22:37
Snapshot Tomatometer: 97%
Snapshot review count: 103
Snapshot fresh count: 100
Snapshot rotten count: 3
Source note: Imported from manual review paste batch #1327 (full_snapshot)
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| Netflix | distributor |
| Likely Story | production |
| Billing | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leah Lewis | Ellie Chu |
| 2 | Daniel Diemer | Paul Munsky |
| 3 | Alexxis Lemire | Aster Flores |
| 4 | Enrique Murciano | Deacon Flores |
| 5 | Becky Ann Baker | Mrs. Geselschap |
| Batch ID | Status | Mode | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 783 | processed | — | 2026-06-15 17:18:37 | Processed successfully into movie_id=767 using update_mode=merge_non_empty. |
| Batch ID | Local Snapshot | UTC Snapshot | Entered % | Entered Count | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1327 | 2026-06-15 10:22:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-06-15 15:22:37 | 97% | 103 | processed | Mode=full_snapshot. Processed 103 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=103, fresh=100, rotten=3, tomatometer=97%. Net new reviews added=103, fresh=100, rotten=3. Current canonical totals=103 reviews, 100 fresh, 3 rotten, tomatometer=97% (97.087%). Entered review count matched parsed batch count (103). Entered tomatometer matched parsed batch value (97%). |
| ID | Critic | Outlet | Fresh? | Score | RT Time Raw | Approx Published UTC | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 174113 | Michael Cuby | them. | Fresh | — | 2022-10-03T17:53:16Z | 2022-10-03 17:53:16 | The Half of It brilliantly capitalizes on the everlasting appeal of an easy-to-swallow romcom by disrupting the very same tropes it inevitably clings to, resulting in a film that feels comfortably familiar but still entirely fresh. |
| 174114 | Rahul Desai | The Hindu | Fresh | — | 2022-07-20T15:32:56Z | 2022-07-20 15:32:56 | That rare film in which words marry technology. It puts the text back in texting. |
| 174115 | Drew Gregory | Autostraddle | Fresh | — | 2021-09-10T05:00:17Z | 2021-09-10 05:00:17 | Funny and charming and lovely and real. |
| 174116 | Ben Turner | The Pink Lens | Fresh | 4/5 | 2021-09-01T10:00:12Z | 2021-09-01 10:00:12 | Narratively this doesn't reinvent the wheel with this umpteenth retelling of the Cyrano de Bergerac story, but this is also absolutely one of the strongest teen movies released in recent years. |
| 174117 | Robin Holabird | KUNR (Reno, NV) | Fresh | — | 2021-07-19T21:41:42Z | 2021-07-19 21:41:42 | The update gains substance when attraction comes from the duo's shared fascination with arts, culture, and expression. These new dynamics work cleverly, making for bright and insightful entertainment. |
| 174118 | Emily Wheeler | Emily Wheeler Movie Ops | Fresh | — | 2021-02-21T15:40:17Z | 2021-02-21 15:40:17 | The Half of It clips along beautifully, giving you all the sweet charm of your favorite rom-coms while also giving you some thoughtful meditation on what love is. |
| 174119 | Christina Newland | Empire Magazine | Fresh | 3/5 | 2021-02-20T15:10:14Z | 2021-02-20 15:10:14 | The Half Of It is a likeable if not especially memorable entry into the teen romantic-comedy genre - but it gains most of its merit through its sensitive depiction of outsiderdom and self-acceptance. |
| 174120 | Karen Han | Polygon | Fresh | — | 2021-02-20T15:10:13Z | 2021-02-20 15:10:13 | The idea of a teenage version of Cyrano de Bergerac seems to lend itself to pure romantic fluff, but Wu imbues it with incredible depth and consideration. |
| 174122 | Moira MacDonald | Seattle Times | Fresh | — | 2021-02-20T14:40:14Z | 2021-02-20 14:40:14 | It's a wistful charmer. |
| 174121 | Sean Price | The Spool | Fresh | — | 2021-02-20T14:40:14Z | 2021-02-20 14:40:14 | Netflix has slowly built up a nice library of coming of age rom-coms. The Half of It is mostly in the middle-tier of those, but Ellie is the kind of protagonist we don't see often enough. |
| 174123 | Alex Bentley | CultureMap | Fresh | — | 2021-02-17T15:40:16Z | 2021-02-17 15:40:16 | The Half of It has a lot going on, but it manages to keep all of it flowing in a coherent and fun manner. With a fantastic concept, it features more than a few surprises along the way, easily elevating it way above your typical high school movie. |
| 174124 | Nicole Ackman | Next Best Picture | Fresh | 7/10 | 2021-02-01T05:00:30Z | 2021-02-01 05:00:30 | [It's] a fairly down-to-earth portrayal of high school, from the fashion to the clever inclusion of social media which defines the modern-day teenage experience. |
| 174125 | Becca James | Chicago Reader | Fresh | — | 2020-12-30T02:20:38Z | 2020-12-30 02:20:38 | The Half of It might feel tame in comparison, but it is just as genuine. |
| 174126 | Sarah Boslaugh | TheArtsStl | Fresh | 7/10 | 2020-12-18T22:41:44Z | 2020-12-18 22:41:44 | This story has been done many times, yet it feels fresh and new in Wu's version, which is about a whole lot of things besides unrequited love. |
| 174127 | Debbie Holloway | Narrative Muse | Fresh | — | 2020-09-08T13:50:23Z | 2020-09-08 13:50:23 | Whether you were the jock, the nerd, or the popular kid, there's something in this movie that just might make you feel pretty darn seen. |
| 174128 | Gabriela Meza | Fuera de Foco | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2020-08-03T21:00:44Z | 2020-08-03 21:00:44 | An honest story which contains a lot of topics beyond romance. It speaks of self-love, of growing up, accepting oneself, friendship and more. [Full Review in Spanish] |
| 174129 | Carla Hay | Culture Mix | Fresh | — | 2020-07-18T01:50:21Z | 2020-07-18 01:50:21 | The Half of It is a much-needed, witty boost to the genre of romantic comedies, which have been struggling for years with mediocre and uninspired stories. |
| 174130 | Ricardo Gallegos | La Estatuilla | Fresh | — | 2020-07-10T02:41:11Z | 2020-07-10 02:41:11 | An intelligent and intimate movie that captures the feelings of longing for the first love. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 174131 | Jonathon Wilson | Ready Steady Cut | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2020-06-26T19:20:15Z | 2020-06-26 19:20:15 | The Half of It, new today, seems like something of a remedy to that - an undeniably but not tokenistically progressive affair from writer-director Alice Wu about a queer love triangle in the small, simple town of Squahamish. |
| 174132 | Simon Weaving | Screenwize | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-06-12T10:30:06Z | 2020-06-12 10:30:06 | A warm hearted, funny and really well-crafted movie about two girls, one boy, love letters and the art of romantic texting. |
| 174133 | Kenneth Lowe | Paste Magazine | Fresh | 8.2/10 | 2020-06-08T20:40:16Z | 2020-06-08 20:40:16 | The Half of It actually manages to make its characters' expectations in the wake of that big scene feel genuine. |
| 174134 | Dennis Schwartz | Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews | Fresh | B+ | 2020-06-08T11:10:04Z | 2020-06-08 11:10:04 | Well-conceived and superbly written quirky coming-of-age story. |
| 174135 | Amber Wilkinson | Eye for Film | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2020-06-04T10:20:06Z | 2020-06-04 10:20:06 | There's a generosity of spirit here that is increasingly a feature of teenage dramas as writers and directors move away from stereotypes to more complex characters. |
| 174136 | Witney Seibold | Critically Acclaimed Podcast | Fresh | — | 2020-05-27T16:00:20Z | 2020-05-27 16:00:20 | Compassionate and emotionally universal, Alice Wu's film understands several very particular teen experience: Falling in love, adolescent dignity, and thinking you're the only brain in town. |
| 174137 | Katie Smith-Wong | VODzilla.co | Fresh | 8/10 | 2020-05-26T14:40:14Z | 2020-05-26 14:40:14 | All three characters...bring a realism to the traditional teen romance that reminds audiences that sometimes, the happily ever after can be delivered in a different way. And in the case of The Half of It, it makes it all the sweeter. |
| 174138 | Danielle Broadway | Black Girl Nerds | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2020-05-21T19:45:03Z | 2020-05-21 19:45:03 | Wu does a lot of work in this film with various themes. She doesn't care about the storybook ending that some viewers may have been dying for - she chooses something much more real. |
| 174139 | Josephine L. | Geeks of Color | Fresh | — | 2020-05-21T05:50:05Z | 2020-05-21 05:50:05 | The Half of It is beautiful, stirring, and emotional, and certainly worth a watch. |
| 174140 | Adriana Gomez-Weston | The Cinema Soloist | Fresh | 9/10 | 2020-05-19T15:50:06Z | 2020-05-19 15:50:06 | The Half of It doesn't depend on love, or its characters to save each other. It allows them to make decisions for themselves, and become whole instead of waiting on the other half. That in itself is a bold stroke if there ever was one. |
| 174141 | Pablo O. Scholz | Clarín | Fresh | — | 2020-05-18T16:50:08Z | 2020-05-18 16:50:08 | A quality [film] without cliches. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 174142 | Sabina Dana Plasse | Film Threat | Fresh | 9/10 | 2020-05-18T09:00:06Z | 2020-05-18 09:00:06 | The Half of It is a timeless classic in an era of uncomfortable change and existence. |
| 174143 | Peter Canavese | Celluloid Dreams | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2020-05-16T16:30:11Z | 2020-05-16 16:30:11 | A cut above your average teen romance: genuinely interested in the nature and complexities of love...funny and witty with a literate script and charming performances. |
| 174144 | Courtney Lanning | Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | Fresh | — | 2020-05-15T18:10:14Z | 2020-05-15 18:10:14 | The Half of It is immensely entertaining. And bully for a movie with some actual queer representation. |
| 174145 | Becky Kukla | The London Economic | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-05-15T15:40:10Z | 2020-05-15 15:40:10 | Wu's film is stronger in it's convictions and goes far beyond the usual conventions and tropes of the high-school genre to firmly plant its feet on new ground |
| 174146 | Perri Nemiroff | Collider | Fresh | B+ | 2020-05-14T01:10:11Z | 2020-05-14 01:10:11 | What does finding "the one" even mean? It's a big question with a multitude of answers and Alice Wu's examination of just that is powerful enough to encourage one to make a bold step for the better, no matter their definition of "the one." |
| 174147 | James Marsh | South China Morning Post | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2020-05-12T14:50:14Z | 2020-05-12 14:50:14 | Despite its slightly unbalanced narrative, The Half of It ultimately succeeds, in large part thanks to the authenticity of its three young leads, even when their surroundings don't always ring true. |
| 174148 | Shawn Edwards | Fox 4 Kansas City | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-05-11T22:20:21Z | 2020-05-11 22:20:21 | A sophisticated and somewhat-engaging story, with more than a few good moments. While the premise is familiar, the execution works... |
| 174149 | Patrick McDonald | WBGR-FM (93.7 FM - Monroe, WI) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-05-10T18:50:07Z | 2020-05-10 18:50:07 | The film works on several levels ... it's a satire of typical teenage coming-of-age films, it's emotionally right on target, it has great laughs and it contains an appreciation for how great works of art inspires our souls. A Tribeca Film Fest winner! |
| 174150 | Roxana Hadadi | Chesapeake Family Magazine | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-05-10T17:30:06Z | 2020-05-10 17:30:06 | The Half of It respects its characters and its viewers alike, delivering a love story that finds as much meaning in a platonic relationship as a romantic one. |
| 174151 | Li Lai | Mediaversity Reviews | Fresh | A+ | 2020-05-10T00:50:06Z | 2020-05-10 00:50:06 | The handwaved 'Latin-ness' of Aster Flores collapses under its own ambiguity. |
| 174152 | David 'Mad Dog' Bradley | Adelaide Review | Fresh | 7/10 | 2020-05-09T01:20:25Z | 2020-05-09 01:20:25 | There's much to enjoy in Wu's second film as director (and her first in 16 years!)... |
| 174153 | Anupama Chopra | Film Companion | Fresh | — | 2020-05-08T23:40:24Z | 2020-05-08 23:40:24 | The Half of It guides the gaze from the outside to the inside. From the platform to the compartment. From the lovers to their longing... |
| 174154 | Angie Han | Mashable | Fresh | — | 2020-05-08T22:40:22Z | 2020-05-08 22:40:22 | These flaws aren't fatal, because the movie has banked enough goodwill by this point to see it through some rough patches. But they do leave their mark, turning what looked like the next great coming-of-age classic into a pretty good distraction. |
| 174155 | Rachel Charlene Lewis | Bitch Media | Rotten | — | 2020-05-08T22:10:21Z | 2020-05-08 22:10:21 | While these teenage-focused TV shows and movies flirt with the idea of lesbian relationships, they quickly pivot before their casual interest can evolve into any fully realized romance. |
| 174156 | Hannah Brown | Jerusalem Post | Fresh | — | 2020-05-08T22:00:23Z | 2020-05-08 22:00:23 | Its leads are appealing and it is literary in a charming way, although at moments it seems a bit self-conscious. |
| 174157 | Melalin Mahavongtrakul | Bangkok Post | Fresh | — | 2020-05-08T21:10:12Z | 2020-05-08 21:10:12 | The narrative of this coming-of-age drama takes us from finding love to finding self, dropping the pretence and shedding overbearing layers for one to pursue goals and dreams and be who they are. |
| 174158 | Kate Rodger | Newshub (NZ) | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2020-05-08T21:10:11Z | 2020-05-08 21:10:11 | As the final credits rolled I realised Ellie Chu had easily won my heart, and she could well do the same with yours. |
| 174159 | Alonso Duralde | Breakfast All Day | Fresh | 9.5/10 | 2020-05-08T21:00:12Z | 2020-05-08 21:00:12 | This is a really charming high school comedy. |
| 174160 | Lauren Veneziani | WBAL-TV (Baltimore) | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2020-05-08T16:20:13Z | 2020-05-08 16:20:13 | A fresh and sweet coming-of-age story about a Chinese-American teen and the unexpected friendship she forms. |
| 174161 | Maureen Lee Lenker | Entertainment Weekly | Fresh | B | 2020-05-08T11:50:11Z | 2020-05-08 11:50:11 | If The Half of It lacks the pizzazz and energy of similar Netflix fare, and doesn't have much to say beyond its initial setup, it at least takes a stab at doing something different. |
| 174162 | Andrew Stover | Film Inquiry | Fresh | — | 2020-05-08T04:30:05Z | 2020-05-08 04:30:05 | Alice Wu's The Half of It is absolutely commendable in how it explores an Asian-American lesbian's journey to self-realization. Along with Wu's tender and layered script, the trio of young actors render the film whole. |
| 174163 | Sebastian Zavala Kahn | Me gusta el cine | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2020-05-07T23:10:20Z | 2020-05-07 23:10:20 | It conveys various themes related to immigration, religion, extreme conservatism, sexuality, and masculinity with unexpected elegance. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 174164 | Ignacio Navarro | El antepenúltimo mohicano | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-05-07T18:10:09Z | 2020-05-07 18:10:09 | It can be recommended as a whole for its performers' charisma. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 174165 | Rafer Guzman | Newsday | Fresh | 3/4 | 2020-05-07T11:20:07Z | 2020-05-07 11:20:07 | An endearing teen romance that handles sexual orientation with a light touch. |
| 174166 | Natasha Alvar | Cultured Vultures | Fresh | 9/10 | 2020-05-06T10:40:08Z | 2020-05-06 10:40:08 | Alice Wu reminds us of what a filmmaking force she is with her sophomore film The Half Of It, telling us a beautiful story that shines like a luminous lone window on a dark night. |
| 174167 | Gabriella Geisinger | Digital Spy | Fresh | — | 2020-05-06T09:30:06Z | 2020-05-06 09:30:06 | 4 The dialogue is sharp and pointed, laced with quotes from Greek poets and French cinema. But none of this obscures the vein of emotion that holds the whole thing together, striking a balance between deft cleverness and heartfelt sincerity. |
| 174168 | Pete Hammond | Deadline Hollywood Daily | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-05-06T03:00:10Z | 2020-05-06 03:00:10 | Netflix Tribeca winner uses the Cyrano de Bergerac formula in a romantic comedy with a twist. The Half Of It is simply a whole lot of fun. |
| 174169 | Karl Delossantos | Smash Cut Reviews | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2020-05-06T02:10:08Z | 2020-05-06 02:10:08 | There's a chance The Half of It fades into the background of the multitudes of Netflix romantic comedies. But I hope that the right audience sees it. If I had seen this movie when I was a kid, I feel like the world would have been different for me. |
| 174170 | Jordan Calhoun | Black Nerd Problems | Fresh | — | 2020-05-06T00:40:11Z | 2020-05-06 00:40:11 | By its end you will find yourself cheering for friendships more than lovers, not needing a happily-ever-after to feel that love won the day. |
| 174171 | Chelsea Steiner | The Mary Sue | Fresh | 5/5 | 2020-05-05T20:00:17Z | 2020-05-05 20:00:17 | The result is a deeply felt, authentic look at what it means to actually come of age, and the weird messy struggle that is adolescence and knowing oneself more deeply. |
| 174172 | Andrea Thompson | The Young Folks | Fresh | — | 2020-05-05T19:40:11Z | 2020-05-05 19:40:11 | Hopefully we don't have to wait 15 years before Alice Wu's next film, which will hopefully be another exploration of the many ways love can enrich our lives. |
| 174173 | Abby Olcese | Crooked Marquee | Fresh | — | 2020-05-05T18:50:09Z | 2020-05-05 18:50:09 | Wu develops this central relationship nicely... Some elements of The Half of It can feel a bit thin or contrived, but her emotional beats are always right on. |
| 174174 | Rob Hunter | Film School Rejects | Fresh | — | 2020-05-05T05:30:04Z | 2020-05-05 05:30:04 | Alice Wu's sophomore film is one of the smartest, warmest, and most affecting YA films in years. |
| 174175 | Lael Loewenstein | FilmWeek (LAist) | Fresh | — | 2020-05-04T21:20:22Z | 2020-05-04 21:20:22 | It's cute, sweet, and funny... A perfectly pleasant movie. |
| 174176 | James Croot | The Post NZ | Fresh | 5/5 | 2020-05-04T20:20:26Z | 2020-05-04 20:20:26 | The Half of It is exactly the kind of fulsome feel-good movie everyone needs right now. |
| 174177 | Allen Adams | The Maine Edge | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2020-05-04T18:20:22Z | 2020-05-04 18:20:22 | The Half of It is sweet without being saccharine and heartfelt without sacrificing humor...a charming film that has no qualms with wearing its sincerity on its sleeve...a feel-good love story. |
| 174178 | Pamela Powell | Daily Journal (Kankakee, IL) | Fresh | 4/4 | 2020-05-04T17:50:18Z | 2020-05-04 17:50:18 | Filled with awkwardly comedic situations, layered dramatic elements and a cast that gives us a reason to care, [Alice] Wu's film comes to life. |
| 174179 | Rich Cline | Shadows on the Wall | Fresh | 5/5 | 2020-05-04T17:50:17Z | 2020-05-04 17:50:17 | It's beautifully written, directed and edited to tell an engaging story that's funny and powerfully involving, mainly because of what it so effortlessly reveals about all of us. |
| 174180 | Adrian Hennigan | Haaretz | Fresh | — | 2020-05-04T16:40:07Z | 2020-05-04 16:40:07 | This is a beautifully perceptive movie about love, identity and taco sausages, with a killer set-piece that rivals "The Graduate" for showstopping church scenes. |
| 174181 | Alci Rengifo | Entertainment Voice | Fresh | — | 2020-05-04T15:50:05Z | 2020-05-04 15:50:05 | This is a film that stands out as a tribute to unrequited love, but instead of simply tugging at your heart strings, it hopefully teaches us some more valuable lessons. |
| 174182 | Emmanuel Báez | Cinéfiloz | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-05-04T15:20:05Z | 2020-05-04 15:20:05 | What's wonderful about the story is the script. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 174183 | Christopher Llewellyn Reed | Hammer to Nail | Fresh | — | 2020-05-02T23:40:04Z | 2020-05-02 23:40:04 | Wu ... has not only cast well, but is gifted with a sharp sense of pacing and tone, switching between scenes of high humor and deep pathos with ease. |
| 174184 | Kristy Puchko | Pajiba | Fresh | — | 2020-05-01T23:40:23Z | 2020-05-01 23:40:23 | Wu has made something warm and wonderful. |
| 174185 | Jim Judy | Screen It! | Fresh | — | 2020-05-01T21:10:22Z | 2020-05-01 21:10:22 | My favorite film of the year so far. (Full Content Review for Parents - Profanity, Teen Drinking, etc. - also Available) |
| 174186 | Hoai-Tran Bui | Slashfilm | Fresh | 8/10 | 2020-05-01T20:20:20Z | 2020-05-01 20:20:20 | Its unexpected ode to platonic soulmates and its thoughtful depiction of immigrant life in smalltown America is a sweet, refreshing addition to the coming-of-age genre. |
| 174187 | Steve Pond | TheWrap | Fresh | — | 2020-05-01T19:50:21Z | 2020-05-01 19:50:21 | It's a charming, light comedy that goes down easy. |
| 174188 | Anne Brodie | What She Said | Fresh | — | 2020-05-01T18:50:14Z | 2020-05-01 18:50:14 | It's a winning, sweet story of longing, creativity and the presence of all kinds of love. |
| 174189 | Christy Lemire | RogerEbert.com | Fresh | 3/4 | 2020-05-01T18:50:13Z | 2020-05-01 18:50:13 | By telling a personal tale inspired by elements of her own young life, Wu achieves both singularity and universality. And it helps a great deal that the actress functioning as her stand-in has such a smart and compelling screen presence. |
| 174190 | Ty Burr | Boston Globe | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2020-05-01T17:00:14Z | 2020-05-01 17:00:14 | Too much of "The Half of It" doesn't pass the smell test to play as the heartsore farce it aspires to be, even as the emotions at the movie's core ring loud and true. |
| 174191 | Bilge Ebiri | New York Magazine/Vulture | Fresh | — | 2020-05-01T15:30:14Z | 2020-05-01 15:30:14 | It's so tenderhearted and transporting, its characters so likable, that you can't help but want to give the movie and everyone in it a big hug. |
| 174192 | Marisa Carpico | The Pop Break | Fresh | — | 2020-05-01T14:20:12Z | 2020-05-01 14:20:12 | Wu's script grapples with race, gender, sexuality, even family obligation with such gentle honesty that the small notes that ring false just don't matter in the long run. |
| 174193 | Liam Lacey | Original Cin | Fresh | — | 2020-05-01T12:20:11Z | 2020-05-01 12:20:11 | Writer/director director Alice Wu's ambitious teen comedy smartly mines sweet spot between love and identity. |
| 174194 | Kyle Turner | New York Times | Fresh | — | 2020-05-01T11:50:09Z | 2020-05-01 11:50:09 | By exploring issues of race and queerness with emotional complexity, it treats teenagers with the sophistication they deserve. |
| 174195 | Inkoo Kang | The Hollywood Reporter | Fresh | — | 2020-05-01T11:50:08Z | 2020-05-01 11:50:08 | Smart, charming and endlessly refreshing. |
| 174196 | Emily St. James | Vox | Rotten | 2.5/5 | 2020-04-30T23:00:23Z | 2020-04-30 23:00:23 | There's a great movie inside of The Half of It, and Wu is a tremendous talent who shouldn't have to wait 15 years to make another feature film. Like too many Netflix movies, this one feels like the script needed a few more drafts. |
| 174197 | Renee Schonfeld | Common Sense Media | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-04-30T22:50:18Z | 2020-04-30 22:50:18 | Touching, smart teen story deals with sexuality; drinking. |
| 174198 | Stephanie Zacharek | TIME Magazine | Fresh | — | 2020-04-30T20:30:09Z | 2020-04-30 20:30:09 | A prickly-tender film about teenage friendship, first love and all the blurry gradations in between. It's sweet and funny, but also, in places, as raw as a scraped knee. |
| 174199 | Louisa Moore | Screen Zealots | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-04-30T17:30:08Z | 2020-04-30 17:30:08 | A delightful teen rom-com that is the charming tonic we all need right now. |
| 174200 | Kevin Crust | Los Angeles Times | Fresh | — | 2020-04-30T13:20:11Z | 2020-04-30 13:20:11 | Wu is confident enough to make the bold strokes her characters speak of and craft a movie that's comfortably different. |
| 174201 | Peter Travers | Rolling Stone | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-04-30T12:10:10Z | 2020-04-30 12:10:10 | Alice Wu's sweetly subversive YA romcom about a closeted Chinese-American girl searching for love and finding a healing friendship is an exuberant gift of a movie that is just the tonic we need in these troubled times. |
| 174202 | Anna Menta | Decider | Fresh | — | 2020-04-30T12:00:08Z | 2020-04-30 12:00:08 | It's an adorable teen film that will no doubt service an extremely underserved audience. |
| 174203 | Benjamin Lee | Guardian | Fresh | 3/5 | 2020-04-30T11:50:07Z | 2020-04-30 11:50:07 | A strong, warm-hearted and quietly progressive addition to the expanding Netflix teen movie pack which treats its target audience with the respect they deserve. |
| 174204 | Ann Hornaday | Washington Post | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2020-04-30T11:40:07Z | 2020-04-30 11:40:07 | This breezy, self-aware and utterly adorable coming-of-age tale keeps one eye on literary and cinematic classics, and the other firmly on a future full of exploration, self-expression and buoyant expectation. |
| 174205 | Molly Freeman | Screen Rant | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2020-04-29T16:40:17Z | 2020-04-29 16:40:17 | The Half of It puts a queer YA spin on a classic romance story, but Wu makes it her own - delivering a charming, sweet and altogether heartfelt movie. |
| 174206 | Sherin Nicole | idobi.com | Fresh | B | 2020-04-29T13:30:16Z | 2020-04-29 13:30:16 | The Half of It explores burgeoning attraction with a delightful melancholy and nuanced storytelling, showing just how difficult blossoming can be when you've never known to hope for sunlight. |
| 174207 | Malinda Lo | Autostraddle | Fresh | — | 2020-04-29T13:00:10Z | 2020-04-29 13:00:10 | I loved all of it. |
| 174208 | Emma Simmonds | The List | Fresh | 4/5 | 2020-04-29T12:50:10Z | 2020-04-29 12:50:10 | It's an engaging take on a tale we've seen a thousand times, as our heroine figures herself out and begins her messy quest for the one. |
| 174209 | Barry Hertz | Globe and Mail | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2020-04-29T12:50:09Z | 2020-04-29 12:50:09 | Although the marketing for the new film - from its sunny poster to its aw-shucks trailer - tries to position it as zippy, even disposable fun, Alice Wu's work is admirably rougher, in ways good and bad, than the rest of the streaming giant's YA clan. |
| 174211 | Caroline Siede | AV Club | Fresh | B- | 2020-04-29T12:50:08Z | 2020-04-29 12:50:08 | There's an earnest emotional maturity that carries the film along as it builds to an ending that's cathartic without being simplistic. |
| 174210 | Jude Dry | IndieWire | Fresh | B | 2020-04-29T12:50:08Z | 2020-04-29 12:50:08 | It's no wonder the film so effortlessly folds highbrow aims into an accessible coming of age story - writer/director Alice Wu knows her stuff. |
| 174212 | Peter Debruge | Variety | Fresh | — | 2020-04-29T12:50:07Z | 2020-04-29 12:50:07 | Wu's unique take on teen angst hints at what else we've been missing by allowing studios to limit who can tell such stories. |
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