Film Threat chimes in with a review:

On the one hand the inclusion of such bizarre imagery is distracting to the excellently portrayed human drama, but on the other hand it is ultimately what makes this a Charlie Kaufman film and it is self aware enough to know that these touches also serve to underscore the larger theme of the film, which is that life is absurd. And yet, although a beautifully acted and often very well written film, one leaves "Synecdoche, New York" feeling like they could have gotten the same feeling just by living life. But then again, that was likely the point. (Source )

Got not enough sleep last night, so I'm still mildly zombie-fied, but the show rolls on! Today's new reviews (older reviews are behind the cut):

To say that Charlie Kaufman's “Synecdoche, New York” is one of the best films of the year or even one closest to my heart is such a pathetic response to its soaring ambition that I might as well pack it in right now. That at least would be an appropriate response to a film about failure, about the struggle to make your mark in a world filled with people who are more gifted, beautiful, glamorous and desirable than the rest of us — we who are crippled by narcissistic inadequacy, yes, of course, but also by real horror, by zits, flab and the cancer that we know (we know!) is eating away at us and leaving us no choice but to lie down and die. (Source)

Thanks to Tim for that one. If the New York Times loves it, it must be good. Ja? On the other hand:

Does everything work in this mind-bender from Charlie Kaufman, the screenwriter of Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? No way. Synecdoche, New York is exhilarating and exasperating in equal doses. But Kaufman, making his directing debut, is focused on something you don't find at multiplexes overrun with chihuahuas and violent escapism: That would be a life of the mind. Kaufman wants to prove that intellectual ambition isn't dead at the movies. Godspeed. (Source)

If Rolling Stone gives it 2.5/4, they must be right. Right? Why thinkst Premiere?

At turns as neurotic and nebbishy as any Woody Allen flick, as creepy and disorienting as your favorite "Twilight Zone" episode, and as steeped in magical realism as the most moving Márquez novel, Synecdoche may not be the feel-good date movie of the year. But for viewers up for the challenge, it may be the film most likely to stick with you. (Source)

Unlike the heady days of Adaptation and Human Nature, I won't be linking to every review that comes out for Synecdoche. I'm not as young and energetic as I once was, folks. Besides, you know where to find Rotten Tomatoes and MRQE.com. Instead we'll mostly be sticking to the more well-known publications/reviewers, and any others that seem particularly interesting/amusing/etc. With that in mind:

Village Voice's Scott Foundas gives a mixed/positive review:

In Cannes, where Synecdoche, New York premiered in May to a chorus of mostly withering reviews, many found these intellectual parlor games tedious to the point of exhaustion and branded Kaufman himself something of a surrealist one-trick pony. That last accusation may be valid, but the trick—and the intensity with which Kaufman's actors devote themselves to it—is nonetheless dazzling. Like most of Kaufman's work as a writer, Synecdoche, New York is a head trip that time and again returns to a place of real human emotion—in this case, to the idea that no matter how brilliant we may be or think we are, we're all looking for a little guidance (or, yes, direction) in life. (Source)

MSNBC's Alonso Duralde gives a rave:

"Synecdoche, New York" left me speechless at first; since that feeling passed, I haven't been able to stop thinking or talking about it. It's the best American film of 2008 to date, and probably of 2007 and 2006 as well. (Source)

Eric Hynes, via indieWIRE, via Reverse Shot, has this to say about the film:

Masked in age-enhancing latex, awkwardly enjoining themselves beneath the sheets and coughing away smoke as the surrounding house burns down, Hoffman and Morton exchange vows of love and regret, and somehow it's the saddest, loveliest thing I've seen all year. (Source)