For Ellen
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Metascore
61 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics What's this?

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  • Starring: Jena Malone, Jon Heder, Margarita Levieva, Paul Dano
  • Summary: Aspiring rock star Joby Taylor has wanted nothing more than to “make it”, having flirted with fame but never crossed over into true success. In the midst of a low period in his life, he agrees to sign divorce papers with his estranged wife in order to see money from the sale of their home, only to discover that by signing the papers, he will forfeit all custody of his six-year-old daughter, Ellen. With a good-natured lawyer unable to make headway in reversing the decision, and a girlfriend that represents an era of his life that he might be ready to graduate from, Joby negotiates a visit with his daughter to explore whether he is able to walk away from his child, and whether it might be too late for reconciliation. (Tibeca Film)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. indieWIRE
    Reviewed by: Eric Kohn
    Sep 1, 2012
    91
    Nobody else could fit the role of a crestfallen rocker that Paul Dano embodies in director So Yong Kim's remarkable For Ellen.
  2. NPR
    Reviewed by: Mark Jenkins
    Sep 7, 2012
    60
    By concentrating so intently on the psychically unattached Joby, Kim hinders dramatic and character development. Her "Treeless Mountain," the Korea-set saga of two young sisters, was also quiet and open-ended. But the interplay between the two girls provided warmth and depth. For Ellen feels both colder and slighter.
  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    Sep 7, 2012
    25
    Sundance Mopey Alienation Flick No. 4,228 is For Ellen, an empty angst-athon that proves 90 minutes of close-ups of Paul Dano looking wounded can be even less interesting than it sounds.

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