Most critics respond warmly to Delicatessen’s macabre comedy, with praise clustering around its inventive visuals and the playful handling of its post-apocalyptic setting. The sets, photography and rhythmic editing give the film a comic-strip energy, while eccentric characters and busy performances supply much of its humour. The favourable reviews find that its surreal details and slapstick keep the grisly premise entertaining, even when the story itself is slim.
The disagreement is substantial rather than a matter of minor reservations: the same grotesquerie strikes some critics as imaginative and others as exhausting. The New York Times admires the invention but finds the film too slight, while The AV Club praises the setpieces yet sees the narrative slipping into excess. Slant Magazine is the sharpest dissenter, finding the comedy unfunny, the surroundings repetitive and the treatment of the characters lacking in compassion.