The New York Times by Manohla Dargis

The film’s title, needless to say, has an ironic bite. One of the pleasures of The Merry Gentleman is Mr. Keaton's commitment to that bite, which never registers as cruel or gratuitous, just honest, weary, sad.

Los Angeles Times by Betsy Sharkey

A dark and lovely drama about the complications of human connections that is Michael Keaton's impressive directing debut.

The Hollywood Reporter by Duane Byrge

An edgy entertainment, the movie also remarkably has the feel-good warmth of an old-time Irish film.

Philadelphia Inquirer by Steven Rea

A sly and surprisingly sublime little noir romance.

Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

Original, absorbing and curiously moving.

ReelViews by James Berardinelli

It has been argued that for characters to be three-dimensional, they must have a past, a present, and a future, not to mention an arc. The Merry Gentleman offers a counter-argument for those who would dispute this.

Christian Science Monitor by Peter Rainer

Without her (Kelly Macdonald), the generally well-acted The Merry Gentleman would descend into terminal lugubriousness.

Variety by Todd McCarthy

Despite its shortcomings as a plausible, compelling story, The Merry Gentleman, Michael Keaton's directorial debut, exhibits genuine promise behind the camera.

The A.V. Club by Nathan Rabin

If ever a film needed a double shot of espresso and a swift kick in the caboose, it's this one. At best, the film is hypnotic; at worst, it challenges--no, dares--audiences not to fall asleep.

Chicago Tribune by Michael Phillips

It's a very small film, undermined by a puttering rhythm and Pinter-worthy pauses in the second half and a resolution neither satisfyingly oblique nor conventionally pleasing.