- 9
This unassuming but quietly winning comedy-drama delivers on the promise of its title.
—David Rooney Hollywood Reporter
- 8
The phrase "must see" is overused in our industry. With Win Win, it absolutely applies.
—Sean O'Connell filmcritic.com
- 8
There's a strain of the inspirational sports movie here, but it doesn't overwhelm the sharply observed story of credible people trying to connect.
—Claudia Puig USA Today
- 8
...does not leave that cozy realm, but it finds enough to work with there. It is in no way challenging or provocative, but it is never dull or obvious. It's a good movie about trying to be good.
—A. O. Scott New York Times
- 8
This movie wins you over, head and heart, without cheating. It's just about perfect.
—Peter Travers Rolling Stone
- 8
...Win Win ... isn't a tale of facile victory. It's a movie about how loss makes everyone do things they'll both defend and regret.
—Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly
- 7
...at its best, Win Win (is) refreshingly honest and unsentimental about how people fail each other, but can create significant connections out of even the smallest kindnesses. Its unfussy realism makes every funny moment and painful setback seem well-earned and believable.
—Tasha Robinson Onion AV Club
- 7
...McCarthy's most polished and successful film to date, as well as a bit of a risk. Even for a filmmaker who can make something light and entertaining out of complex personal issues, the idea of crafting a hero out of someone who falls prey to expediency and indefensibly cuts a moral corner is taking a chance. This may sound like a Frank Capra film with a high school wrestling setting, but it's one in which the hurts of the real world forcefully intrude.
—Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times
- 7
...McCarthy ... has a rare ability to make familiar situations seem fresh in an era when many so-called indie films have become as predictable and formulaic as their big-budget brethren.
—Lou Lumenick New York Post
- 7
...an easygoing charmer...
—Michael Phillips Chicago Sun-Times
- 5
A "quirky" dramedy in the Juno/Little Miss Sunshine mode, but lacking the latter's vibrant ensemble and the former's snappy patter, Win Win is indie with the edges sanded down completely.
—Karina Longworth Village Voice
- 5
...more like a draw draw, just barely balancing its everyone-learns-something uplift with ragged emotional dynamics and unexpected humor.
—Nick Schager Slant Magazine
- 5
A "quirky" dramedy in the Juno/Little Miss Sunshine mode, but lacking the latter's vibrant ensemble and the former's snappy patter, Win Win is indie with the edges sanded down completely.
—Karina Longworth LA Weekly
- 5
...a bittersweet drama with heart.
—Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor
- 4
...a disappointing domestic comedy in which all but the audience get what they want.
—Peter Debruge Variety