The Two Pauls -- Giamatti and Rudd -- shine in another downbeat ode to humanity from director Phil Morrison ("Junebug").

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 4, 2020

"All Is Bright" is reminiscent of those utterly forgettable Canadian movies bankrolled on the government dime in the name of cultural preservation.

| Oct 8, 2015

Phil Morrison's direction and choices aren't as bold or as inventive as his styles in Junebug. The story doesn't lend itself to those traits that made him a quiet sensation in the mid-2000s.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 14, 2014

An amoral dark comedy set during the Christmas season.

| Original Score: B | Aug 4, 2014

Morrison films this redemptive story - which has some hard-to-swallow moments - with a dusty gray palette that suits its characters and masquerades the story's more obvious sentimentality.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Nov 22, 2013

Overall, it's truly as exciting as you'd think watching two people sell Christmas trees would be, even if those two people are Paul Giamatti and Paul Rudd.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 18, 2013

This is of the "nice" variety of movies and makes for an off beat Christmas flick.

| Original Score: C+ | Nov 17, 2013

a dark comedy that's not often funny, but this quirky character piece has real heart.

| Original Score: B- | Nov 16, 2013

There's the backbone of a better film here, it just needs some ornaments.

| Nov 4, 2013

a relatively lackluster dark comedy that is elevated several notches by Giamatti's cantankerous presence

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 20, 2013

The entire enterprise feels as phony as a fake Yule tree

| Oct 14, 2013

You might think you can see where Almost Christmas is heading but it never quite loses its acerbic edge or goes emotionally blooey.

| Oct 7, 2013

This engaging if somewhat underwhelming tale of unlikely redemption builds a funny-sad web of intersecting interactions around its strong central perfs.

| Oct 7, 2013

The film is happy to observe wryly as boredom and failure threaten to overwhelm the men.

| Oct 7, 2013

All is Bright is unsugary, a small out-of-season miracle.

| Oct 7, 2013

For people who like their Christmas movies set under slate-grey skies.

| Oct 6, 2013

It's certainly missing some holiday cheer.

| Oct 6, 2013

The film has an accomplished mood of cantankerous despair, but it's still little more than downbeat fluff.

| Original Score: B | Oct 4, 2013

I wish I could give four stars to Giamatti's big, sad eyes and outrageous Civil War beard.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 4, 2013

Oddly touching Christmas tale about ex-con, jilted love.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 4, 2013