Critics’ reviews

Movie 43 (2013)

19 reviews from 19 publications. Critics’ score 26: 0 positive, 3 mixed, 16 negative.

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26
Positive
0
Mixed
3
Negative
16
Screen Daily
26 January 2013
50*

The omnibus is a total mess but perversely watchable for its raunchy, juvenile humour performed by big stars. The critic notes it settles for mildly outrageous rather than inspired comedy and is one to file away as a curiosity.

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Radio Times
25 January 2013 · ★★ · Dave Aldridge
40

This scatological collection of skits ignores boundaries of taste but offers some laughs if moral outrage is set aside. The critic highlights the hit-and-miss nature of the multi-director effort and praises the stars' willingness to embrace extreme comedy.

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IndieWire
25 January 2013 · Gabe Toro
30*

The review finds the film strains for laughs with an uninspired collection of comedy shorts featuring big stars.

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The New York Times
25 January 2013 · Stephen Holden
30*

The critic describes the star-filled anthology of crude vignettes as mostly juvenile and offensive, with participants seeming to relish being naughty. He singles out the transgressive 'Homeschooled' sketch involving forced inappropriate behavior on a child.

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Vulture
25 January 2013 · David Edelstein
30*

The critic finds the star-studded raunchy anthology mostly a fiasco with poor timing and execution, though a few sketches have moments.

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Los Angeles Times
28 January 2013 · Sheri Linden
25*

The critic deems the anthology an aggressive stupidity and monumental missed opportunity with no comic payoffs, despite some sight gags. She singles out the star power in the 'Catch' sketch with Winslet and Jackman as one of the few effective moments.

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The Guardian
29 January 2013 · Peter Bradshaw
20*

The critic finds the film sketchy and mostly unfunny despite star cameos; a few moments work but overall lacks laughs.

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The New Yorker
25 January 2013 · Richard Brody
20*

The critic calls the sketch-comedy feature deadly dull, unfunny, offensive, and clumsily made, viewing it as an unintended revelation of Hollywood's willingness to produce bad films. He focuses on the framing device and gross-out gags as emblematic of its cynical intent.

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Variety
25 January 2013 · Joe Leydon
20*

The critic labels it an appalling misfire that fails to capture the spirit of classic sketch comedies, with humor ranging from juvenile to revolting. He highlights the desperate framing device with Quaid pitching to Kinnear as particularly unconvincing.

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Empire
3 October 2012 · festival review · Kim Newman
10*

The critic dismisses this multi-sketch gross-out comedy as tedious and largely offensive, with most vignettes dragging on without punchlines.

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Slant Magazine
26 January 2013
10*

The review deems the film a self-aware but relentlessly unfunny gross-out sketch comedy that fails to elevate its tired premises despite the cast.

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The Hollywood Reporter
25 January 2013 · THR Staff
10*

The critic calls it one of the worst films of all time, a painfully unfunny collection of comic shorts despite A-list talent and multiple directors.

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The Telegraph
29 January 2013 · Robbie Collin
10*

The reviewer feels pity for the film which is not novel or funny, an inert end to the sketch comedy genre.

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Time Out
10*

The critic finds the star-studded comedy anthology staggeringly unfunny and questions what possessed major Hollywood actors to appear in it. They single out the absurd and grotesque scenarios, such as Hugh Jackman with testicles on his neck, as emblematic of its lowbrow excesses.

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The Wrap
25 January 2013
65*

The critic finds the anthology of gross-out sketches juvenile and disgusting yet hilarious, particularly praising the segments featuring Kate Winslet and Halle Berry for their committed performances in outrageous situations.

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The Playlist
25 January 2013 · C · The Playlist Staff
57

The anthology strains for laughs with an uninspired collection of shorts mostly obsessed with genitals and scatological humor that rarely lands. A few segments show flashes of inspiration or commitment from performers, but most putter out without resolution; only James Gunn’s deranged closing sketch captures any real comedic vision.

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Den of Geek
28 January 2013 · ★★ · Ron Hogan
40

The critic finds the anthology comedy inconsistent and mostly unfunny, with skits that fall flat despite a great cast; the best part is one skit with Terrence Howard.

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HeyUGuys
27 January 2013 · ★ · Rob Keeling
20

The critic calls the film a colossal misstep whose only mystery is how the stellar cast was convinced to participate. The loose wraparound and series of depraved sketches miss the mark almost entirely, producing only the lightest titters amid cringe-inducing gross-out attempts that quickly grow boring.

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Paste
29 January 2013 · 0.5 · Tyler Chase
10*

The critic's verdict is that Movie 43 is an epic failure and a black mark on everyone's résumé, insulting to audiences and not worth any money. They single out the puerile, shock-based sketches that fail to deliver laughs, like the one with Hugh Jackman having a scrotum on his neck.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate