by Andrew Whaley, Blind Without My Glasses

…Payne’s performance as Hal was also striking.  He played the “I’m-trying-to-be-hip-nerd” quite well, neither falling into stereotype about math geeks nor making a University of Chicago junior professor seem like a debonair Clark Gable.  Like Robert and Catherine, he was sincere and tender and raw at times that caused the audience to catch our breath.