Sennott is so good you’ll find herself getting angry at the movie for undercutting her work with a pointless jigsaw puzzle structure.

Full Review | Jun 15, 2024

The ending of “I Used to Be Funny” is sweet, given the dire circumstances in which it occurs. I just wish the film was more confident in its dramatic side to deliver on the promise of its diptych premise.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Jun 14, 2024

It’s really smart and lovely indie filmmaking that finds this delicate balance between the laughs and the big emotions, and using the laughs to cope with the big emotions

Full Review | Jun 14, 2024

I Used to Be Funny is not an empty film by any means, but it did meander a bit too much to be stronger, with familiar arcs along the way. That said, Sennott provides a powerful performance.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Jun 13, 2024

Writer/director Ally Pankiw (TV's 'The Great') makes her feature filmmaking debut with a mystery buffeted by a dual tale of trauma.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jun 12, 2024

In her film debut, [Pankiw] delivers a full and fulfilling narrative arc that is anchored by a surprisingly complex performance from Sennott.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 12, 2024

A story of friendship and trauma that on the surface may not be very original, but compelling storytelling that blends mystery with the complexities of trauma highlights an essential aspect of the female experience.

Full Review | Jun 10, 2024

Rachel Sennott navigates scenes that must have been emotionally grueling, and she does it with an honesty well beyond her years.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 10, 2024

There’s the old cliché about loving a performer so much you’d watch them read the phone book. That’s put somewhat to the test in I Used to Be Funny, a low-energy, unoriginal, and poorly crafted film.

Full Review | Jun 10, 2024

Rachel Sennott is—as always—worth watching, though watching her portraying someone struggling with depression can be . . . depressing.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 10, 2024

I Used to Be Funny’s unconventional narrative structure is more manipulative than smart, disrupting the film’s strong ideas on trauma and the healing process.

Full Review | Jun 10, 2024

It’s blend of emotional realism, a fantastic lead performance, and exacting direction from Pankiw make for one of the essential movies of the season.

Full Review | Original Score: 8.5/10 | Jun 8, 2024

Sennott has already shown dynamic range in Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby and Bottoms, but the emotional intelligence coupled with the actor's technical prowess demonstrates an attention to detail here that fully realizes the sharply attuned portrayal.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Jun 7, 2024

Sennott is a talented comic; her failure to span the film’s vastly disparate tones isn’t so much a comment on her dramatic abilities as a failure of the film’s. And she’s underserved by an ultimate failure of imagination.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 7, 2024

In the end, this ambitious, imperfect drama does pull off a complex thematic mix, encompassing issues from grief to sexual assault, with a generous helping of humor to lend its darkness some light.

Full Review | Jun 7, 2024

A sharply modulated performance by Rachel Sennott propels this character study about guilt, sisterhood, and fragile family dynamics.

Full Review | Jun 7, 2024

Pankiw and Sennott bring Sam’s story to life with an inventive yet sensitive approach, creating a sympathetic portrait of someone learning to cope with the tragedies of life and embrace their funny side despite it all.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 7, 2024

Indie queen Rachel Sennott, with her pliable features and masterfully droll delivery, has the sort of fresh screen presence that Hollywood exists to embrace.

Full Review | Jun 7, 2024

A former stand-up herself, Sennott holds a stage with command.

Full Review | Jun 6, 2024

While the writing is mostly good, none of these highs would have been nearly as high without Sennott.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Jun 6, 2024