- Cliché Storm: The Hollars contains the same story beats as most other family reunion indie films (mainly the "protagonist returns to small town following a family emergency" trope).
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Consensus: The Hollars gathers an impressive assortment of talented stars; unfortunately, it's all in service of a story that's been played out more effectively in countless other indie dramedies.
- Critical Dissonance: Audiences were slightly more generous than critics; on Rotten Tomatoes, the critic score is a 48% compared to the audience score of 59%.
- So Okay, It's Average: The general consensus of this film is that while it's generic and overall nothing special, it has its fair share of heartfelt moments and genuine emotion to stop it from being completely bad, and the actors are all trying their best.
- They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: The subplot concerning Jason and Gwen's Happy Marriage Charade, which was largely considered to be the most interesting plotline in an otherwise bland and cliche-wracked movie. It's only brought up in one scene, and Gwen herself completely disappears from the narrative after said scene.
- Took the Bad Film Seriously: While "bad" is stretching it, Margo Martindale's moving performance as Sally was one of the most praised parts of the movie.
