---
title: "American Honey: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/american-honey/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/american-honey"
critics_score: 73
critics_reviews: 26
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# American Honey (2016): what the critics said

Critics' score 73 from 26 reviews: 19 positive, 4 mixed, 3 negative.

Most critics respond warmly to American Honey, praising Arnold’s feel for youthful energy and the lives of young outsiders travelling across America. Sasha Lane’s naturalistic lead performance draws the most consistent admiration, with Shia LaBeouf and the largely non-professional cast also earning praise. The reviews repeatedly single out the photography, roadside observations and use of music, finding that these give the loosely plotted journey emotional force and a convincing sense of life within the sales crew.

The spread is wide, however, and length is the recurring reservation even among admirers. Some find the wandering structure absorbing; others see repetition, thin characterisation and too little narrative drive to sustain it. The sharper objections go beyond pacing: Slant Magazine argues that the film makes poverty attractive without examining it sufficiently, while HeyUGuys finds that the wealth of striking images cannot compensate for the tedium.

## The Telegraph

Rating 5/5. 13 October 2016. 

The review praises the scuzzy road movie for its raw vitality and non-professional cast, highlighting Sasha Lane’s magnetic performance and Arnold’s remarkable capture of roadside America.

[Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/05/15/american-honey-review---shia-labeouf-has-never-looked-worse-or-a/)

## The Guardian — Mark Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2016. 

The critic finds the film dazzling and Arnold’s best since Red Road. It mixes social-realist grit with natural beauty in a road movie about a young woman joining a travelling magazine-selling crew.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/16/american-honey-review-mark-kermode)

## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 30 September 2016. 

A captivating film that merges vérité and fiction styles through nonprofessional actors, expanding the medium with its magnetic realism. It singles out the remarkable performances of newcomer Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2016/09/movie-review-american-honey.html)

## Sight and Sound — Pamela Hutchinson

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2016. 

The critic praises Arnold's class-conscious road movie for its glistening portrait of American inequality and youthful energy, highlighting the beautiful cinematography and strong performances, especially Sasha Lane's naturalistic turn as Star.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-american-honey)

## Variety — Guy Lodge

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2016. Festival review. 

The review describes a ravishing blend of feminine picaresque and musical that commits to loose narrative across its long runtime, constantly active and engrossing. It singles out the camera-magnetizing lead performance and specific details of home life.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/american-honey-review-shia-labeouf-1201774708/)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 September 2016. 

The critic calls it a wild, rambling and astonishingly beautiful epic of the open road that deconstructs the romance of the journey while celebrating its heroine's incandescence. It notes patchy plotting and longueurs are intentional but may test patience.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-american-honey-review-20160926-snap-story.html)

## Radio Times — Damon Wise

Rating 4/5. 

The critic hails it as an exhilarating celebration of modern youth and a heady, intoxicating experience, praising Arnold's work with actors and the blend of hedonism with sharp vignettes.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-snl5yd/american-honey/)

## Empire — Helen O'Hara

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 October 2016. 

Arnold excels at portraying youthful passion and deprivation through a newcomer’s eyes amid a chaotic road crew. The film is a little too long but held by Lane’s charisma, striking visuals and the intensity of young love.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/american-honey-review/)

## The Independent

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2016. Festival review. 

The film is a structure-less but graceful road movie full of observational details and lyricism about young outsiders selling magazines across the US. It is original and rewarding despite its length and episodic nature.

[Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/american-honey-cannes-festival-film-review-a-rich-and-rewarding-reworking-of-the-road-movie-a7032591.html)

## Film Comment — Paula Mejía

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2016. 

The critic finds the film a sprawling, immersive portrait of America through the eyes of its young characters on a rambling road trip. It excels in making viewers connect deeply with the protagonists' experiences and emotions over its long runtime.

[Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/american-honey-andrea-arnold-review/)

## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2016. Festival review. 

An immersive road movie about a teen runaway joining a traveling youth sales crew that is bound to be divisive due to its baggy length and lack of narrative incident, yet ultimately penetrating. It singles out the exhilarating use of music and startling nature images for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/american-honey-cannes-review-894128/)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 September 2016. 

The review finds the film a picaresque with ravening observation of American sights and insects, centered on an 18-year-old's road adventures. It notes the mashup of grime and epiphany becomes somewhat shtick-like, pulling the viewer in less sharply than prior work.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/american-honey-and-deepwater-horizon-reviews)

## The New York Times — A.O. Scott

Rating Critic's Pick. 29 September 2016. 

The critic praises the film's roaming, sensual road picture that probes American life through youthful recklessness and ignorance. It highlights Arnold's empathetic curiosity about her female protagonist's inner life amid a rambling narrative.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/30/movies/american-honey-review-andrea-arnold.html)

## Evening Standard — David Sexton

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2016. 

Sasha Lane is luminous and makes the film as the newcomer who joins the rowdy crew, but the nearly three-hour road trip lacks plot or closure beyond endless partying and music. The cinematography is remarkable but the focus on youth is ultimately thin.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/american-honey-film-review-forget-shia-labeouf-sasha-lane-is-the-star-a3369066.html)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2016. Festival review. 

The critic describes it as an ambitious but episodic and overlong experimental travelogue with terrific visuals, noting its energy but lack of narrative drive, and highlights the quasi-documentary feel and social themes.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/american-honey-cannes-review/5103945.article)

## Time Out — Dave Calhoun

Rating 3/5. 14 May 2016. Festival review. 

The critic finds many extraordinary moments and energy in Arnold's road movie but notes it's flawed, overlong, patchy and rambling, praising the in-the-moment teenage energy and social commentary while complaining about lack of narrative drive.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/american-honey)

## Slant Magazine — Steve Macfarlane

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 September 2016. 

A bombastic, drugged-out travelogue that aestheticizes poverty and indulges in unsubtle set pieces without much narrative accountability or analysis. It singles out the director's tactility and the cast's dynamism as partial strengths amid the flaws.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/american-honey/)

## /Film — Jacob Hall

Rating 9.5/10. 26 September 2016. Festival review. 

Arnold's empathetic, deeply moving masterpiece is a 163-minute odyssey through America's overlooked heartland, powered by raw performances especially from Sasha Lane and powered by empathy for the forgotten.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/546730/american-honey-review/)

## Deadline — Pete Hammond

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 September 2016. 

The critic hails it as one of the year's best, a wildly satisfying road picture and true original with gorgeous cinematography. They single out Shia LaBeouf's best screen role to date and the palpable chemistry with newcomer Sasha Lane.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2016/09/american-honey-review-shia-labeouf-sasha-lane-cannes-1201825438/)

## Paste — Tim Grierson

Rating 9.5. 19 May 2016. Festival review. 

The critic describes the film as utterly absorbing and intensely moving, a bold societal portrait of a vibrant, troubled America found through the eyes of its young characters. They praise the kinetic energy, the compassion for the misfits, and standout performances from the mostly non-professional cast, especially newcomer Sasha Lane.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/american-honey)

## The Playlist — Jessica Kiang

Rating B+/A-. 28 September 2016. 

Arnold distills the essence of youth into a glorious, propulsive, nectar-hued experience of aimlessness, love and music, with stunning imagery and Lane's riveting performance capturing its ephemerality and beauty.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/andrea-arnolds-american-honey-nectar-hued-poignant-propulsive-review-20160928/)

## Consequence

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2016. 

The critic calls the film one of the year's great movies, praising its seductive yet rueful portrait of uninhibited youth and the fatalism of their world. They single out the striking photography in the 4:3 ratio and the lead performances, especially Sasha Lane's maturation and Shia LaBeouf's confident turn.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/09/film-review-american-honey/)

## The Skinny — Joseph Walsh

Rating 4/5. 6 October 2016. 

The review describes the film as a sensual and rapturous road trip that bursts with youthful energy and life from the opening scenes. It singles out the standout debut performance by Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf's career-best work as key highlights.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/american-honey)

## The Wrap — Ben Croll

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2016. Festival review. 

The critic finds a great movie buried in the overlong film, which overstays its welcome at nearly three hours. They praise Arnold's visual riches and caramel-hued compositions of faces and landscapes.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/american-honey-cannes-review-its-a-long-days-journey-into-the-american-night/)

## Eye for Film — Richard Mowe

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2016. Festival review. 

Arnold's road trip is full of passing vistas, lyricism, raw sex and emotions building a portrait of youths bonding to survive, with strong turns from LaBeouf and newcomer Lane, but the drifters fail to engage enough to sustain the marathon runtime.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/american-honey-2016-film-review-by-richard-mowe)

## HeyUGuys — Jo-Ann Titmarsh

Rating 1/5. 16 May 2016. Festival review. 

The film teems with amazing shots thanks to Arnold's eye but the visual delights are not enough to hold the lengthy and ultimately tedious film together.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/american-honey-review/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/american-honey.md