There were aspects of this movie I absolutely LOVED. It is incredibly relevant, thought-provoking and moving during certain sequences. I adored the ending - it was beautiful and melancholy. But it gets a little too self-indulgent for my taste at a few points, which is a shame because without those beats this would have been in my top ten of the year. The constant references to literature or film from the era became a bit too much for me. That being said, there's a lot to love here and the movie has a huge amount of heart. Annette Bening is getting most of the praise for her performance and she's fantastic (even though this is a role she could play in her sleep at this point) but Greta Gerwig runs away with the movie in my opinion. I absolutely loved her character and the arc she had, and she is pitch-perfect in every scene. She's the main reason to see this movie. Elle Fanning and Lucas Zumann give brilliant performances too in a year that is really lending itself kindly to younger actors. The score and cinematography are also beautiful. I think I may enjoy this movie more with another viewing, but it's great nonetheless. B+/A-

20th Century Women, aka The 1979 Experience, is a tasty slice of the great temporal pie. Anyone who has had anything to do with that fine year will find that this film will boost them up to peek through a window at that 38 year old cultural reality. Annette Bening is awesome, but then she so often is. The kids (Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig (!), and Lucas Jade Zumann) were also awesome at playing misfitting misfits. Its biggest weakness is that it is almost too specific, but then again, that is also its greatest strength. I give it my most repressively compartmentalized recommendation! *A+*

I loved this movie. It's so rooted in authenticity and warmth for its characters, its time period, and its setting. A fantastic performance by Annette Bening grounds the film, but the film has a dynamite ensemble cast (I really loved Elle Fanning in particular). One of 2016's best. A

Fantastic ensemble. Found the ending pretty depressing but well done.

In Santa Barbara as the 1970s give way to the '80s, a single mother (Annette Bening) enlists two women, a photographer recovering from cervical cancer (Greta Gerwig) and a precocious high-school student (Elle Fanning), to help nurture, inspire, and develop the self-esteem and personality of her introverted adolescent son (Lucas Jade Zumann), whom she is both devoted to and slightly mystified by. 20th Century Women is a vastly charming coming-of-age comedy and a luminous ode to womanhood by Mike Mills, a graphic artist and music-video director (for, among others, Air, the Divine Comedy, Pulp, and Sonic Youth) who previously made the similarly delightful, Academy Award-winning Beginners. This is partly an autobiographical piece for California native Mills, and this is reflected in the authenticity of the characters and the closely observed, precise rendering of their environment, a free-flowing milieu where contradictory alternative-music cultures, faded peace-and-love ideals, and second-wave feminist fervor intermingle. Every cast member delivers a performance long on sensitivity, soul, and wit; Fanning, Gerwig, and even the legendary Bening have never delivered finer performances. Screen acting and magic are all but indistinguishable here.

A

This is quite a beautiful film. It's got a nice sense of humour. But it also tries to be powerful in certain messages, which did not translate well to me; a person who is neither an impressionable duckling or a lava lamp old-timer. And I'm not an American. But it meanders a lot of interesting subjects without going too deep (which I actually preferred). Certain aspects were like a false reality of the 70s. More a nostalgic version of the era than an accurate realisation. But the cast is great. Bening and Gerwig are both terrific. Zumann, however, is not. Probably best for him to work in television. Maybe This Is Us will be more to his tune. B+

Oh, and out of the two ... I'm definitely an art fag type.

This was wonderful anchored by strong performances across the board specially Gerwig and Bening. The only central character that I was disappointed was Zumann, Fanning and Cudrup (in a small role) are great as well. The cinematography and score on this one are brilliant. The script is sharp though there are moments that did not connect with me but I loved the overall approach and the ending. I wasn't always engrossed in the 70's setup which took me out of the movie at times but the cast keeps the focus on them.

B+