--- title: "Buddy: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/buddy/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/buddy" critics_score: 61 critics_reviews: 10 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." --- # Buddy (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 61 from 10 reviews: 5 positive, 3 mixed, 2 negative. The reviews lean mildly positive on Buddy, with praise clustering around its recreation of cheerful children’s television and the nastiness beneath it. Critics repeatedly admire the retro production design, while Keegan-Michael Key’s voice performance draws particular approval. Several also find warmth beneath the gore: affection for the children gives the nostalgia more purpose than simply turning a familiar mascot murderous. The combination of absurd comedy and horror works for its supporters, though enthusiasm is far from uniform. The main divide is over how long the premise remains funny or frightening. The Guardian finds a single joke stretched beyond its usefulness, whereas Collider argues that the film finishes before that joke wears thin. Elsewhere, reservations centre on uneven pacing, scattered satire and dramatic material that jars with the silliness. Even some favourable reviews question its thematic depth. The spread is wide, with the same premise producing both delighted approval and outright boredom. ## The AV Club — Monica Castillo Rating B+. 24 August 2026. Casper Kelly twists kids’ shows into a deranged horror delight that takes a killer Barney premise to its unhinged conclusion. The film peppers references to shows from several generations while perverting nostalgia for squeamish punchlines and poignant notes about growing up. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/buddy-review) ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2026. The critic portrays the film as a curdled horror comedy that scrapes nostalgia from low-rent '90s kiddie programming, with strong retro design and a blend of dimensions and pop-culture references that keeps it weird and menacing to the end. A little of it goes a long way, much like the shows it spoofs. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-08-28/buddy-review-casper-kelly-too-many-cooks-delaney-quinn-caleb-williams) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2026. The premise sounds like a Family Guy cutaway gag but the film saves itself from tired edginess by actually having a heart beneath the blood-caked fur. It genuinely likes the kids and wants viewers to like them too as they discover the joys of things not allowed in a TV-Y series. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/buddy-review-keegan-michael-key-casper-kelly/) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2026. Festival review. The review calls it a late-arriving fairy-tale satire of Barney with exquisite satirical world-building and inspired touches, but one that feels scattershot, with mild chuckles rather than big laughs and a conceptual joke that doesn't always sustain feature length. It's ultimately a surrealist hate letter made with love. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/buddy-review-a-barney-spoof-sundance-1236639938/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2026. Buddy is the latest effort to find the scary side of nostalgia by recreating then dismantling the familiar upbeat tone of children’s programming. While it offers pleasures in its pitch-perfect re-creations of kiddie entertainment aesthetics, it is ultimately a testament to less being more. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-buddy-tries-to-find-the-scary-side-of-nostalgia.html) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2026. Festival review. The film is a one-joke comedy horror that fails to deliver either laughs or scares and would have worked better as a short. The central gimmick of a murderous children's TV mascot quickly wears thin, with the story unable to sustain interest over feature length or build meaningful stakes. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/23/buddy-review-comedy-horror-sundance-festival) ## IndieWire — Christian Zilko 24 August 2026. Casper Kelly’s bloodthirsty riff on Barney is the first great midnight movie of 2026. The auteur makes full use of a worthy budget by playing his greatest hits on a multiplex-worthy scale. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/buddy-review-casper-kelly-sundance-1235174700/) ## Screen Daily 24 January 2026. Festival review. The critic finds the film an enjoyable horror-comedy that satirizes cheerful children's TV shows with gore and snark, turning a beloved unicorn character homicidal. It praises Keegan-Michael Key's performance as the evil unicorn and the witty tension between the show's benign surface and sinister events. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/buddy-review-a-kids-tv-show-takes-a-deadly-turn-in-smart-fresh-horror-comedy/5212990.article) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 24 January 2026. Festival review. The film offers a subversive twist on educational children’s television but is in need of sharper teeth overall. The standout is Keegan-Michael Key’s inspired voice work as the title character. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/buddy-review-keegan-michael-key-cristin-milioti-horror-1236483756/) ## Consequence Rating B+. 27 August 2026. The critic highlights the immersive recreation of a children's TV world, the well-constructed puzzle-box narrative that builds to an emotional payoff, and excellent production values and voice cast. They note that it excels as entertaining shock-value satire but falls short of deeper thematic resonance. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2026/08/buddy-review-casper-kelly-too-many-cooks/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 7/10. 24 January 2026. Festival review. The critic praises the film's effective shifts between tones in its absurd horror-comedy premise, strong performances especially from Cristin Milioti and Delaney Quinn that add emotional depth, and clever world-building. They note that it gets in and out before the central joke wears thin while still leaving the viewer wanting more. [Read the review](https://collider.com/buddy-movie-review-cristin-milioti-topher-grace-sundance/) ## HeyUGuys — Nathan McVay Rating 3/5. 26 January 2026. Festival review. The critic finds the film hilarious, unique, and wildly unpredictable as a true Sundance original, praising its surreal '90s nostalgia and strong cast performances, especially Keegan-Michael Key as Buddy. However, it stumbles with uneven pacing and an abrupt dramatic subplot that clashes with the absurd tone. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/buddy-review/) ## The Wrap — Chase Hutchinson Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2026. Festival review. The review finds Casper Kelly’s feature debut a repetitive and baggy misfire that fails to expand successfully on the promise of his short “Too Many Cooks,” resulting in a boring stretch with little genuine inventiveness. It singles out the strong production design replicating children’s television aesthetics for praise while criticizing the juvenile jokes and lack of momentum after a promising start. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/buddy-review-cristin-milioti-horror-comedy/) --- © 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/buddy.md