It's amusing but facile, reasonably clever but hopelessly glib.
Comment
06/26/08
Finding Amanda (2008)
43
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:40
Fresh:17
Rotten:23
Average Rating:5.2/10
Consensus: Despite a charming turn by Matthew Broderick, Finding Amanda is too flimsily executed to succeed as a dark comedy.
Synopsis: From director Peter Tolan, creator of the hit television series Rescue Me, comes Finding Amanda, a hilarious and heartbreaking autobiographical comedy about the compulsions we can’t shake, and the... [More]
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Brittany Snow, Maura Tierney, Peter Facinelli
Director: Peter Tolan
Reviews for Finding Amanda
Click to read the article
04/23/09
The familiar premise here has sharp fangs, unsparing wit and a knockout performance by Brittany Snow as the round-heeled 20-year-old.
06/27/08
Amanda is a generously funny, sharp-edged comedy with unusual promise, and to watch it grow a conscience when clearly the film needed more generous helpings of acid is one of the year's great mysteries.
06/26/08
Offers a steady supply of clever lines but suffers from the patina of self-loathing common to industry lifers and the unfortunate miscasting of straight-arrow Broderick as a depressed, cynical hack.
12/09/08
A peculiar film, which is really two films fighting to occupy the same space.
06/27/08
Top CriticFinding Amanda, the alternate title of which might well have been "I Oughta Be in Rehab," is an uneasy chronicle of addiction and denial wrapped in the rhythms of Neil Simon.
06/26/08
A breakthrough for Brittany Snow who shows she can do much more than horrible remakes and teen comedies...
06/20/08
This unromantic comedy is something less than a sure bet. For some reason, you get the impression that it doesn't live up to the promise of its premise.
07/04/08
Though Finding Amanda's story reaches a reasonably satisfying conclusion, the empty characters at its center make the whole thing feel like a waste.
06/29/08
... they should've renamed this one Finding the Right Tone.
05/15/08
A fun look at Vegas that imbues the seediness of the setting with a sense of innocence and warmth that might take some by surprise.
06/24/08
Spot-on casting of Brittany Snow in the title role makes the fun movie with a serious turn both entertaining and credible.
06/10/08
Broderick’s sunny spin on the deeply flawed Taylor is interesting but eventually defies belief. In the third act, Finding Amanda loses steam altogether.
06/30/08
Top Critic"Finding Amanda" is little more than what "Hardcore" might have been like if it had been rewritten by the author of a dirty joke book--an idea that, come to think of it, is actually more amusing than anything on display here.
06/26/08
False, forced, familiar and often vulgar, especially in its language and depiction of certain characters.
06/18/08
Doesn't have a nuance in it, but it's pretty consistently amusing in its latter-day Woody Allen way. For most of the way, its morals are happily, believably wrong, but all bad things must come to an end.
06/27/08
This cloying comedy is barely enlivened by its talented stars who both deserve much better.
06/27/08
By keeping the tone light and the players human (Steve Coogan has a nice turn as a greasy casino host), and never, ever romanticizing the addict, Finding Amanda comes by its heartbreak honestly.
06/26/08
The interplay between Broderick and Snow ultimately make Finding Amanda more enjoyable than it should be.
06/26/08
Latest News for Finding Amanda
June 30, 2008:
Critics Consensus: WALL-E Is the Best-Reviewed Film of 2008
This week at the movies, we've got lonely robots (Pixar's WALL-E, directed by Andrew Stanton) and kinetic killers (Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, and Morgan... More...
May 04, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
Win Glee DVDs
We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.
New Moon Portraits
TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.
Why Don't Australians Make Sci-fi?
The New Matilda's Lynden Barber looks at the recent success of low-budget sci-fi -- and asks the question.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser
Win the entire 007 collection
Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection
IGN RSS Feeds