Appropriate Behavior

Released Jan 16, 2015

1h 26m

Comedy

LGBTQ+

List

97%

Tomatometer

62 Reviews

64%

Audience Score

1,000+ Ratings

A secretly bisexual Brooklynite (Desiree Akhavan) from a traditional Persian family struggles with her identity and the disintegration of her relationship with her girlfriend (Rebecca Henderson).

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Critics Consensus

Warm, funny, and quietly profound, Appropriate Behavior serves as a thoroughly compelling calling card for writer, director, and star Desiree Akhavan.

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Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

Autostraddle

Akhavan has no problem making us stay close and personal. Shirin holds people at a distance, but Akhavan’s approach to filmmaking is intensely intimate.

Apr 23, 2024

Full Review

KaeLyn

Autostraddle

The humor was so dry, but it was so good.

Aug 12, 2021

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

... while its themes are important, they've all but fallen to the wayside by the film's third act, which becomes a far too typical hipster comedy (think Frances Ha) with an anticlimactic ending that doesn't bring any closure to Shirin's story.

Rated: B-

Sep 1, 2017

Full Review

Yasmin Omar

Harper's Bazaar

The movie feels like a feature-length episode of Girls (in which Akhavan would later guest-star), awash with bratty outbursts, awkward threesomes and sloppy physical comedy.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 25, 2021

Full Review

Nick Levine

NME (New Musical Express)

Far from another trendy comedy, Appropriate Behaviour is sharp, charming and crammed full of life, warts and all.

Rated: 4/5

May 27, 2021

Full Review

Cameron Ward

One Room With A View

Desiree Akhavan's freely accomplished feature debut brings undoubted talent to new tales of love, loss and lesbianism.

Rated: 4/5

May 31, 2019

Full Review

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PridePosterStudios

Not the panties!! ✂️

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/24/24

Full Review

luca j

I thought it was a pretty cute film, easy watch but explored some subtle (and not so subtle) intricasies of relationships, which I think everyone would relate to. But I also think POC would find the cultural conflict the 'American of Iranian descent' protagonist experiences particularly relatable. And I suspect that LGBTQ+ people would also find a lot of it particularly relatable. It was nice how themes that are normally explored in heavy/sad/intense films were explored in a a way that the film retained it's 'lightness' and humour.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Pretty good movie starring the girl from creep 2. I did enjoy this movie but during the last 15 20 minutes I was bored to death and I was trying to like the main character but then there was a heel turn and I then got bored. The ending always makes or breaks a movie and sadly this movies ending 15 20 minutes sucked.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Pretty good movie starring the girl from creep 2. I did enjoy this movie but during the last 15 20 minutes I was bored to death and I was trying to like the main character but then there was a heel turn and I then got bored. The ending always makes or breaks a movie and sadly this movies ending 15 20 minutes sucked.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/22/20

Full Review

Audience Member

Didn't delve deep enough.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

dan u

I tried my best to enjoy this movie, but ugh! That sure didn't happen.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Desiree Akhavan

Director

Desiree Akhavan

Shirin

Rebecca Henderson

Maxine

Scott Adsit

Ken

Halley Feiffer

Crystal

Anh Duong

Nasrin

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Synopsis

A secretly bisexual Brooklynite (Desiree Akhavan) from a traditional Persian family struggles with her identity and the disintegration of her relationship with her girlfriend (Rebecca Henderson).

Director: Desiree Akhavan
Producer: Cecilia Frugiuele
Screenwriter: Desiree Akhavan
Distributor: Gravitas Ventures
Production Co: Parkville Pictures
Genre: Comedy, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 16, 2015, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Runtime: 1h 26m

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