Critics: 'Emoji Movie' Won't Generate Many Smileys

Reviews for the Tony Leondis-directed Emoji Movie are flooding in, and it's not looking good for the animated comedy.

The film follows the adventures of Gene (voiced by T.J. Miller), an emoji with the unusual capability of showing infinite emotions, as he seeks to become a "normal" emoji.

According to The Hollywood Reporter's John DeFore, any comparison to similar animated fare such as The Lego Movie or Inside Out isn't earned here. "Given the right combination of inspiration, intelligence and gifted artists, any dumb thing can be turned into an enjoyable film," he writes. "But Tony Leondis' The Emoji Movie, a very, very dumb thing, comes nowhere near that magic combination. It is fast and colorful enough to attract young kids, but offers nearly nothing to their parents."

DeFore found particular issue with the script, which he calls "weirdly unconvincing." He adds, "The dialogue is even lamer when the pic's three scribes depict the life of Alex, the high-school kid who owns the phone Gene inhabits."

Adds DeFore: "Hell, they can't even come up with fresh-smelling one-liners about the movie's resident poop icon."

While the film is "not always imaginative or digestible," younger viewers should still be amused, writes Defore. "Even so, few adults in the theater will have a hard time maintaining the flatline, unimpressed expression Gene has such difficulty with," he concludes.

Read the rest of this article at The Hollywood Reporter.

T.J. Miller recently left his role on Silicon Valley.