--- title: "Nightbitch: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/nightbitch/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/nightbitch" critics_score: 59 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." --- # Nightbitch (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 59 from 26 reviews: 9 positive, 12 mixed, 5 negative. The reviews split almost down the middle, and the spread is wide. Nearly everyone agrees on Amy Adams: critics call her performance committed, unvain and wild, and several say she is the reason to watch even when the film around her disappoints. Marielle Heller’s direction draws praise for warmth and for making the premise of a mother turning into a dog feel believable, with Deadline going furthest in calling it a wise, sweet tribute to mothers. The reservations cluster on nerve. Most critics say the film pulls its punches, keeping the body horror of the novel at arm’s length and settling into a conventional domestic drama; Polygon and Slant both want it messier and stranger. Others find the metaphor on the nose and the narration too plain in spelling out its points. The Independent dissents hardest, calling it far too tame with pat conclusions, while The Guardian finds it unwilling to choose between comedy and horror. ## Empire Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2024. The critic praises it as a funny, freaky and appropriately messy film that is part comedy, part body-horror and part feminist treatise. They single out Amy Adams' remarkable, deeply unselfconscious performance. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/nightbitch/) ## Little White Lies — Jourdain Searles Rating 4/4/3. 4 December 2024. The review commends Amy Adams' committed and energetic performance as the mother grappling with lost identity. It singles out the film's insightful portrayal of the emotional and domestic burdens of motherhood as a rare and worthwhile exploration. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/nightbitch) ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2024. Abele calls the film a sincerely surreal domestic fable that offers liberation through its canine metaphor for exhausted motherhood. He singles out Amy Adams' ferocious, howling performance and Heller's empathetic direction that avoids easy traps. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-12-06/nightbitch-review-amy-adams-marielle-heller) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 4/5. The review calls it a clever, blackly comic twist on the werewolf tale that smartly examines midlife motherhood and sacrifice. It singles out Amy Adams' raw, unvain performance and the film's satisfying genre-bending approach. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-hffq5p/nightbitch/) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2024. Heller makes the outlandish premise of a mother turning into a dog feel natural and believable. Adams gives a terrific, primeval performance that unleashes something wild within the domestic setting. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/nightbitch-review-amy-adams-marielle-heller/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2024. Dargis describes the film's sly conceit of a beleaguered mother transforming into a dog as a galvanizing rebirth exploring power, female identity, and maternity. She praises Amy Adams' clever, comic performance while noting the story's claustrophobic intimacy and some dubious ideas about domesticity. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/05/movies/nightbitch-review-amy-adams.html) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating 3/5. 5 December 2024. The film offers a wry, pointed portrait of the grind of parenting through its feral premise, with hard-earned truths about unfulfilled motherhood. Daring elements in the setup ultimately sputter out without fully resolving the fantasy or reality question. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/5b6c1ab5-cf50-4eb9-bb7b-8bd5fbb2c60c) ## Time Out Rating 3/5. 20 October 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the film a partially successful comedy-horror about a mother's identity loss and transformation, with strong moments of dry humor and body horror. It notes that the philosophical elements and some tonal shifts feel underdeveloped or corny. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/nightbitch-review-2024) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2024. Festival review. The review praises Amy Adams' ferocious, tour-de-force turn embodying a mother's exasperation and identity crisis with comedy and reinvention. It finds the allegory confused and the message pat and predictable despite the welcome ode to moms. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/nightbitch-review-amy-adams-1236136809/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2024. The film is held back by its reluctance to fully commit to either comedy or horror in its exploration of motherhood. Adams delivers a strong central performance that stands out amid the film's tame approach to its premise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/dec/06/nightbitch-review-doggy-fantasy-satire-amy-adams) ## The AV Club — Natalia Keogan Rating C-. 4 December 2024. The film achieves relatability through its depiction of motherhood's pressures but presents a generic treatise on womanhood that reinforces gendered conventions more than it challenges them, with a simplistic view and narrative issues. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/nightbitch-review) ## The i Paper Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2024. The critic finds the premise satisfying but the metaphor a little on-the-nose and one-note. They single out the visceral texture of stay-at-home motherhood. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/amy-adams-nightbitch-review-motherhood-3410814) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2024. Festival review. The film is more an idea than a movie, with a meditative quality that provides insight into motherhood but leads to tedium due to the lack of a real story or momentum. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-nightbitch-is-more-of-an-idea-than-a-movie.html) ## The Times Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2024. The adaptation treads water by repeating its points about the frustrations of motherhood without advancing the story or the body-horror elements effectively. Adams is strong but the film feels like an extended monologue with limited payoff. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/nightbitch-review-amy-adams-dog-pvb63fxbg) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2024. Festival review. The critic calls the film completely barking and about as subtle as a Doberman bite. They single out Amy Adams' un-vain, intensely watchable performance. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/nightbitch-film-review-amy-adams-b1188177.html) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2024. Festival review. Despite its perceptiveness about the microaggressions faced by mothers, the film disappoints by easing into orthodox storytelling and not fully committing to its weird premise, pulling its punches instead of getting messy. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/nightbitch-review-amy-adams-marielle-heller/) ## Total Film — Emily Murray Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2024. The critic calls it a disappointing dark comedy that is all bark and no bite. They single out the premise failing to deliver on its potential. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/drama-movies/nightbitch-review-amy-adams/) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2024. The critic finds the film a colossal disappointment and far too tame. They single out the tidy, emotionally pat conclusions as a key flaw. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/nightbitch-review-amy-adams-b2658152.html) ## IndieWire — Katie Rife 8 September 2024. Festival review. By minimizing the body horror aspects of the source novel, Heller crafts a surprisingly grounded story primarily focused on the impossible expectations of motherhood. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/nightbitch-review-amy-adams-1235045179/) ## Screen Daily 8 September 2024. Festival review. The review describes a gently observant comedy-drama about the perils of motherhood that could use more bite, with Amy Adams powering a film that sometimes glides on the surface of its anguished premise. It notes the patient, compassionate style but limited capitalization on the provocative transformation idea. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/nightbitch-toronto-review/5197000.article) ## Sight and Sound 3 December 2024. The critic praises the film's tender and compassionate handling of motherhood's challenges through a satirical lens and animal metaphor. Amy Adams' empathetic performance is highlighted as key to making the story relatable and emotionally resonant. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/nightbitch-marielle-heller-depicts-challenges-motherhood-with-satirical-bite) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 8 September 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the film promising at the start with sharp humor and weirdness but ultimately pulls its punches, defanging the premise and not taking its ideas far enough to be seriously provocative despite Amy Adams's strong performance. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/nightbitch-review-amy-adams-marielle-heller-1235995057/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2024. Festival review. The critic finds it a sweet, wise and glowing tribute to mothers that is funny, touching and very real despite its metaphysical elements. They single out Marielle Heller's exceptional direction and Amy Adams' believable, compelling performance for keeping the story grounded. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/09/nightbitch-review-amy-adams-goes-to-dogs-tribute-to-motherhood-toronto-film-festival-1236081512/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 7/10. 8 September 2024. The critic praises Amy Adams' wild and ambitious performance as a mother undergoing a surreal transformation, highlighting the film's exploration of motherhood's transformative and isolating effects, though noting it doesn't fully embrace its weirdness. [Read the review](https://collider.com/nightbitch-movie-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2024. Festival review. The critic praises Amy Adams' committed and amazing performance that paints a full portrait of the character but notes the film doesn't match the heights of the book or Heller's best prior work. They single out its capture of the emotional core of motherhood with sly jokes and heartbreak while sanded of some rougher edges. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/nightbitch-review-amy-adams-movie/) ## Polygon — Jesse Hassenger Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2024. The critic appreciates Heller's nuanced take on motherhood and Adams' committed performance but laments that the film pulls back from its body-horror and weird potential, settling into conventional domestic drama instead of embracing wilder elements like in The Substance. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/horror/491788/nightbitch-werewolf-body-horror-comedy-review-substance/) ## The Playlist — Ankit Jhunjhunwala Rating C+. 8 September 2024. Festival review. The film offers catharsis for female viewers through its sharp satirical take on the drudgery of unsupported motherhood in the opening act, with Amy Adams delivering a committed, unflattering performance. It becomes a tonal mish-mash, however, failing to commit to the transformation premise and turning into a blunt marital drama. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/nightbitch-review-amy-adams-gives-a-committted-performance-in-marielle-hellers-cathartic-look-at-motherhood-tiff-20240908/) ## HeyUGuys — Linda Marric Rating 3/5. 6 December 2024. Nightbitch is a bold, thoughtful, and often funny exploration of the unvarnished realities of motherhood and gender inequities, with courageous performances from Amy Adams and Scoot McNairy. It is restrained in its weirdness, however, and spells out insights too plainly at times. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/nightbitch-review/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 5/10. 6 December 2024. The promising premise of body-horror satire on motherhood collapses into clumsiness with purple prose narration and dated empowerment tropes. Amy Adams gives a wonderful, selfless performance that saves the film and makes it worth watching despite its flaws. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1730587/nightbitch-amy-adams-movie-review/) ## The Skinny — Lucy Fitzgerald Rating ★★. 3 December 2024. The critic finds the film a tonally unstable mashup that lacks teeth, criticizing its rudimentary feminist soliloquies and identity crisis while noting it is intermittently affecting. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/nightbitch-review) ## Film Stories — Maria Lattila 5 December 2024. The critic finds the film entertaining and empowering in its honest exploration of motherhood's uglier sides and sacrifices of identity, praising Amy Adams' committed and rage-filled performance as the saving grace. However, it notes the film doesn't fully commit to its weird premise and struggles to make its own deductions. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/nightbitch-review-all-bark-very-little-bite/) ## Paste — Nadira Begum Rating 6.5. 21 October 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the film shallow despite Adams' strong performance, criticizing its reluctance to fully commit to surrealism or deep exploration of maternal rage and feminism, resulting in repetitive and tame commentary. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/nightbitch/nightbitch-review-amy-adams-marielle-heller-problems-feminism-motherhood) --- © 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/nightbitch.md