CONTAINS SPOILERS
"Some may look at Fifty Shades of Gray as a blemish on Johnson’s resume, but she still delivered a solid performance in that and continues to prove she can carry a movie in How to Be Single. She instantly establishes Alice as a highly likable girl next door-type, but one with more than enough nuance to make her feel like a human being and not just an archetype. It’s a blast to watch her let loose and party alongside Robin, but then Johnson has no problem switching gears and highlighting the fact that Alice needs to get comfortable in her own skin before she can get comfortable in a relationship. The script doesn’t give that concept the screen time it deserves and the final edit of the film feels as though it’s missing important beats of Alice’s transformation, but Johnson’s on-screen charm and magnetism fills enough of the holes."
"The cast is talented and game, particularly Johnson and Wilson who get many of the best gags, though the underutilized Brie does make startling effect of a children’s bookstore freak-out, which is probably How to be Single’s finest moment."
"Even with all its flaws, “Single” provides screen time for a charming ensemble of actors. Johnson, who brought flashes of wit to “Fifty Shades of Grey” and who has been a dynamite “Saturday Night Live” host, reasserts herself as an empathetic actress and skilled comic player."
"How to Be Single" stars Dakota Johnson, queen of the Valentine's Day box office last year when she was checking out the Red Room of Pain in "Fifty Shades of Grey." Johnson's easygoing, offhanded charisma has a way of loosening up mediocre material and keeping it as honest as possible under the circumstances. She brings to the camera some of the blithe timing of Greta Gerwig as well as the pleasing gravity of Charlotte Gainsbourg, and in "How to Be Single" she shares scenes with Leslie Mann (who plays her older sister) that really get the job done; they're funny and charming and a little bit off-plot, so everybody can relax into them."
"Dakota Johnson plays the central character, a gal named Alice who is not that far removed from how naive Anastasia Steele is in the early passages of Fifty Shades of Grey. Except that Alice becomes focused on finding herself, instead of losing herself in a sicko, subservient romance with Christian Grey. In a more normal, human role, Johnson is warm, open, vulnerable and adept at conveying emotion without layering it on too thick. She is subtle and her eyes speak volumes."
"Johnson’s blandly earnest performance contributes to the listless atmosphere, as does Ditter’s pedestrian direction, which is most notable for utilizing cutesy graphics for text conversations (a device that’s fast becoming its own cliche)."
"The story threads are carried by a roster of agreeable players reprising their greatest hits. Dakota Johnson, her eyes as quizzical as they were in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” perfectly captures her role as Alice, a recent grad exploring new opportunities in Manhattan."
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