Baghead: Critic Reviews

The semi-improvised performances, which seem so natural that it is tempting to confuse the actors with their characters, bring Baghead into the realm of group therapy observed through one-way glass.

Baghead is at its best when it captures the subtleties of romantic machinations, macho power plays and the indignity of women aging in Hollywood.

The movie's cheap, it's clever -- it's even a little scary in places.

It's an indie about indies -- meta, right? But also mighty effective if you're into idle, drunken chit-chat about getting laid while waiting out the bogeyman in the bushes.

While the acting is uneven and the focus wavers, the Duplasses take several well-aimed potshots at their bloated industry.

A very short and cheerfully scruffy comedy-thriller by the Duplass brothers.

Directed by Jay and Mark Duplass, it's very broad, but the satire -- and its attendant babble -- actually heightens the scares.

He [baghead] is obviously simply a device to make the movie long enough to qualify as a feature, and the denouement will be one of stunning underwhelmingness.

Delightfully unpredictable.

A raw, wickedly clever comedy that also includes moments of genuine terror.

Even in the spookiest woods in the dead of night, there will be no difficulty figuring this one out.

When the origami model of the plot finally unfolds, and the well-justified surprises are disclosed, there are still a couple of revelations up the Duplass brothers' sleeves.

The truth eventually comes out, as it must, and it's not exactly a stunner.

[A] clever insider's riff about life on the lo-fi end of the indie spectrum.

Satire, you see, requires the sort of artistic discipline that is anathema to mumblecore filmmakers.

The coda, even if it doesn't wholly work, should have some sobering lessons for would-be filmmakers who see this. Kids, try this at home.

he brothers Duplass have a knack for the to-and-fro of modern relationships. Their horror sense is less acute, but at least they understand that when the budget is low, it's best to keep the villain in the shadows.

Although the final act telegraphs the endgame a little too obviously, Baghead is nevertheless a late summer treat.

I want to persuade you to see Baghead, but I don't want to overhype it, because in many ways it's a delicate construction best served as a surprise.

The movie's concern with its characters' shifting alliances and petty vanities also evokes early John Sayles and, at times, Eric Rohmer.

The problem with Baghead isn't that it's cheaply made but that it's sloppily composed.

A funny, scary send-up of filmmakers.

Something [that] is both impressive and thrifty is Jay and Mark Duplass' Baghead, unquestionably the most inventive horror film in years -- one that puts character first and genre expectations last.

...an intriguing premise that's employed to predictably subdued effect by the Duplass brothers...