Cranston is excellent in the central role, with Garner (who deserves a more vibrant career) offering solid support.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 1, 2021

The real reason so see Wakefield is the tour-de-force performance Bryan Cranston brings to it.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 18, 2019

While this monotonous one-man show may be a testament to Cranston's talents, the film becomes a tedious exercise.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Oct 10, 2019

Voyeurism channeled through a character so bereft of decency and filled with such a false sense of superiority only serves to leave the viewer feeling a little dirty.

| Original Score: 2.75/5 | Jul 20, 2019

If the movie ran just 53 minutes instead of 106, Cranston probably would have won me over. After all, "Wakefield" is based on a short story.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 21, 2019

An ode to discontent and resentment, a story of self reflection that's as thought provoking as it is imperfect.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 21, 2018

The exploration of the self in the way it's presented in "Wakefield" is both brave and daunting to watch at times, but the journey, minus the conclusion, is certainly worth it.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 21, 2018

Beyond a few flashbacks, Wakefield is a one-man vehicle for Cranston, who is fantastic, cycling through the variety of emotions that comprise Howard's breakdown and disappearance from his own life.

| Dec 19, 2017

Wakefield feels like it is a modern day version of Rear Window but without all the thrills...in this character study that stars Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston.

| Nov 26, 2017

The experiment proves only partially successful, perhaps because it's difficult not to be a little too aware of the pitfalls such a solipsistic story faces and the strategies Swicord uses to overcome them.

| Aug 30, 2017

Wakefield illustrates what white privilege is all about - the ability to step out of one's own life, abdicate responsibility, and still one's loved ones are OK, their safety, livelihoods, and overall quality of life remains intact.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Jul 14, 2017

Swicord's movie is about the angst of a rigorously constructed and airtight suburban life...she arrives at an intricate mosaic style that accommodates both eloquent portraiture and deft tableaux.

| Jul 11, 2017

The film seems at least peripherally aware that what he does to his family is unconscionable, so the pathos comes from the bitter irony of the cost of his new found self-awareness.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 26, 2017

Uneventful and dull to look at, the film adapts a short story by E.L. Doctorow that probably should have stayed on the page.

| Jun 22, 2017

A heightened portrait of the modern American male in mid-life crisis...that fascinates even when it doesn't fully convince.

| Original Score: B | Jun 22, 2017

It isn't the dull midlife crisis movie it initially presents itself as. But it also doesn't do enough to lurch into more nightmarish territory.

| Jun 9, 2017

Far from an action-packed thriller, this cerebral look deep inside a very disturbed mind is as hypnotic as it is unsettling.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Jun 9, 2017

What a fine performance by Jennifer Garner, playing a character we see almost totally through the filter of her husband's viewpoint.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 8, 2017

Cranston delivers a minimalist performance that not only keeps our attention but earns it. His natural charisma and emotional range not only bring Howard Wakefield to life but awaken what could have turned into a slumberous cinematic experience.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 1, 2017

Working from her own screenplay, director Robin Swicord delivers a film that balances wry humor and sly introspection.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 1, 2017