The Death and Life of John F. Donovan

From its contrived structure to its forced speechifying, this story... never acquires the emotional potency or coherence its themes demand.

In any case, what remains of John F. Donovan is a barely coherent mess, and so eager for your approval that it's hard to feel anything but sorry for it.

A work of stunning technique eclipsed by its increasingly jaw-dropping solipsism...

A spectacular mash of half-baked ideas... Well, that, and a movie that just got lost somewhere in the editing room.

[Dolan's] film falls victim to his worst tendencies.

Dolan's English-language debut whinges about personal neuroses rather than probing homophobia or celebrity.

These moments lead us to Dolan the pedant, whose explicit articulation of ideas obscures a career-long attention to character and form.

With just a little streamlining [the film] might have zipped by in a brisk, poignant hour and a half. At over two hours, it goes straight to the Dead Letter Department.

It's far from perfect, but still manages to be a fascinating attempt at exploring sexual identity, isolation and the consequences of fame.

Convoluted gay-identity drama drags; drug abuse, smoking.