Fresh Manhattan locations prove as photogenic as the leads, and the supporting actors -- especially Tina Benko as a glacial, impeccably dressed amazon -- don't miss a beat of Maggenti's snappy dialogue. full review

Reaser really doesn't stand a chance. She's plucky as heck, and you like her despite the script, but she can't save the movie. full review

There is pleasure and even insight to be had in Puccini but it all feels second-hand, and therefore, of questionable provenance. full review

Puccini for Beginners doesn't quite make it as romantic comedy. Most of the elements are in place, but the characters seem too narcissistic to fall in love and too broad-brush to be authentic. full review

It's no fun to sit through the movie's retread Woody Allenisms, including postmodern repartee among the self-absorbed or giddily neurotic and passing strangers suddenly given to ironic Greek chorus-like commentary. full review

Puccini for Beginners is littered with witty dialogue, although some of it is so obviously scripted that it can become off-putting. full review

There's a drag on this film, and that's the character of the protagonist, Allegra. She's just not a nice person, which could have been OK, except it seems as though she's supposed to be. full review

It may not be the real world of New York, or even of most relationships, but it's worth a visit.

Proving that a movie called Puccini For Beginners actually can be as deeply pretentious as its title implies, Puccini For Beginners attempts to pick up the torch once carried by Woody Allen for the romantic comedy of ideas.

The movie offers a charming view of a small-town Manhattan where strangers constantly give Allegra romantic advice. Though that device is a little too indebted to Woody Allen, at least Maggenti does Allen a lot better than Ed Burns. full review

Snappy repartee with the ring of real conversation is sustained through enough of Puccini for Beginners to make it a rarity.

If Woody Allen were a young, attractive gay woman, he might make something like this, or so Maggenti hopes. But it would probably be funnier, and it would definitely cut deeper. full review

The filmmaker's niftiest trick is in making a group of neurotic, self-involved, overly verbal people so engaging. full review

A sharp-witted romantic comedy that takes the old Woody Allen screwball style and mood and amusingly applies them to a story about tangled gay and straight relationships in modern Manhattan. full review

For fans desperate for a funny new romantic comedy, and willing to expand their definitions of just what a date movie might entail, Puccini for Beginners offers a good 101 introduction to the genre. full review

A number of scenes in the film are charming and engaging, with a genuinely unforced lightheartedness, and that takes more than a little expertise on the part of Ms. Maggenti, as well as her cast and other collaborators.

Real pleasure comes in small, refreshing doses in Puccini for Beginners.

Writer-director Maggenti turns in some smart dialogue and keeps things moving swiftly. full review

[Director] Maggenti offers a cute variation on the classic Hollywood 'comedy of remarriage.' full review