How to Build a Girl

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How to Build a Girl

R

2019

1h 42m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

139 Reviews

54%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

A smart and ambitious teen reinvents herself as a music critic.

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Critics Consensus

Led by Beanie Feldstein's charming performance, How to Build a Girl puts a disarmingly earnest spin on the familiar coming-of-age comedy formula.

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Clarisse Loughrey

Independent (UK)

Feldstein's charms are brilliantly weaponised here.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 9, 2020

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Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

The strong, distinctive, individual voice you keep hoping to hear never breaks through.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 22, 2020

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Kimber Myers

Crooked Marquee

It's not subtle, but How to Build a Girl shouldn't be a quiet movie; it's as loud and full of life as its central character ...

Rated: B

Nov 16, 2020

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Calum Cooper

In Their Own League

“How to Build a Girl” has a lot going on in its favour. It may perhaps be a bit overstuffed for some tastes, but its heart is consistently in the right place in spite of this.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 14, 2024

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Jason Flatt

But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Feldstein has proven to be a master of the genre and How to Build a Girl is worth watching for her performance alone.

Rated: 8/10

Jan 17, 2023

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Dallas King

Flick Feast

For a film where the central character has to develop a unique voice in order to stand out, the final product is crushingly formulaic... The result is a movie that resembles an album of terrible cover versions of your favourite songs.

Rated: 1/5

Nov 12, 2022

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Albert W

Meh... not bad but not that great either.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/24/24

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Audience Member

Coming of age + Funny + Light + Endearing + Heart Warming = Lovely Movie (What are you waiting for? If you you are in the mood for something light to lift you up.. Watch it!)

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Audience Member

I forgot to rate this after watching but from what I remember 2.3

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/18/21

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Audience Member

Writing, Rock N Roll, rough family and an epic coming of age story for Johanna. She gains a career writing mean reviews of rockers' music, but in the process loses herself. It's a great, well-written ride.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Audience Member

Beanie Feldstein was great in this, but the movie as a whole just wasn't as compelling as a I wanted it to be. Worth watching for her performance, but I think I liked the book better.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

adam b

Don't believe the critical consensus; the film was BAD. At the halfway mark, I was regretting ever putting this film in my watchlist and contemplated turning it off, but I stayed only because I enjoyed some of the other background characters and figured I'd wait the film out to see the end results. The main character tries and tries to impress and be funny and while a bit charming, she mostly just comes off as an eye roll. Plus, a story about a highschool girl becoming a music journalist literally sounds like the most boring film. There's definitely better films out there that deserves your attention rather than this cringe fest. P.S. regarding the ending...... I can see the gesture was coming from a place of love... but bitch, no one wants your fucking hair. I can't express enough how self indulgent this character is.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Coky Giedroyc

Director

Beanie Feldstein

Johanna Morrigan

Alfie Allen

John Kite

Paddy Considine

Pat Morrigan

Sarah Solemani

Angie Morrigan

Chris O'Dowd

Alan "Wilko" Wilkinson

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How to Build a Girl: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A smart and ambitious teen reinvents herself as a music critic.

Director: Coky Giedroyc
Producer: Debra Hayward
Screenwriter: Caitlin Moran
Production Co: Film 4, Lionsgate, Monumental Pictures
Rating: R (Some Teen Drinking|Sexual Content|Language Throughout)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Streaming): May 8, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $70.5K
Runtime: 1h 42m

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