--- title: "Pain & Gain: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/pain-and-gain/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/pain-and-gain" critics_score: 57 critics_reviews: 25 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." --- # Pain & Gain (2013): what the critics said Critics' score 57 from 25 reviews: 6 positive, 13 mixed, 6 negative. Most critics come away divided on Pain & Gain, and the reviews settle mainly in the middle. What praise there is clusters on the cast. Dwayne Johnson is the name mentioned most often, admired for a performance that is both funny and unexpectedly sincere, and Mark Wahlberg’s comic turn draws warm notices too. Bay’s direction is credited with energy and visual flair even by reviewers who find the whole thing exhausting, and several single out individual set pieces. The reservations are about tone and length. Many find the film overlong, and the mix of slapstick with a brutal true-crime story troubles reviewers across the spectrum; several question whether Bay is knowingly mocking his own excess or simply indulging it. The spread is wide. The New Yorker calls it an exuberant success, while The Hollywood Reporter finds the satire ham-fisted and Digital Spy dismisses it as crass and misogynistic, with Ed Harris its one bright spot. ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 April 2013. Brody finds the film a raucous, unusually exuberant success, praising Bay’s lively, freewheeling approach to its true-crime story. He notes that some comic exaggerations are crude, but singles out the performances and colorful details as especially effective. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/michael-bays-exuberant-pain-gain) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 26 April 2013. Edelstein liked the film and strongly recommends it to viewers willing to overlook its excesses. He praises Mark Wahlberg’s comic performance, while criticizing the film’s sleazy exploitation and queasy mix of satire, slapstick, and violence. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2013/04/movie-review-pain-gain.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2013. Bradshaw finds the crime comedy entertaining and zingy, though overlong and occasionally unsure of its own joke. He praises Mark Wahlberg’s comic performance and notes Dwayne Johnson’s unexpectedly funny turn. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/aug/29/pain-and-gain-review) ## Empire — Mark Dinning Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2012. Dinning finds the film entertaining and inventive, though its middle section grows flabby and muddled. He praises Bay’s spectacular visual flair and the cast’s joyful performances of the story’s grotesque characters. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/pain-gain-review/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 30 August 2013. The critic finds the film overlong and unevenly Bay-ish, but ultimately fascinating. They praise its smart, disturbing satire and the performers’ ability to make the chaotic gang strangely sympathetic. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/pain-gain-film-review-8791188.html) ## Film Comment — Max Kyburz Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page identifies this as a review but does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no accessible praise or complaint to summarize. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/review-pain-gain-michael-bay/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page returned a browser-check screen, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No praise or complaint from the review is available in the provided page text. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/pain-and-gain-2013) ## Screen Daily — Brent Simon Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 23 April 2013. The page identifies this as Screen's review of the 2013 film. The review text is behind a registration wall, so its verdict and specific praise or complaint are unavailable. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/pain-and-gain/5054146.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page content is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No praised or criticized element can be verified from the provided text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/26/movies/michael-bays-pain-gain-with-mark-wahlberg.html) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Rating 2.5/4. 24 April 2013. Schager finds the film riotous and repugnant, while questioning whether Bay is knowingly satirizing his own excesses. He praises the performances and the film’s energetic mockery of its deluded protagonists, but faults its troubling stereotypes and ambiguity. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/pain-and-gain/) ## Sight and Sound — Nick Pinkerton Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 30 August 2013. Pinkerton finds the film deeply conflicted and fitfully brilliant, though often frustrating. He praises Bay’s cinematic flair, while faulting the way its farcical treatment undercuts the grim true-crime material. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/low-film-week-pain-gain) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 3/5. 26 August 2013. The review gives the film three out of five stars, suggesting a mixed verdict. The available page text does not reveal what the critic singled out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/pain-gain) ## Total Film — James Mottram Rating 3/5. 14 August 2013. Mottram finds the film exhausting and over-the-top, but acknowledges its undeniable allure. He particularly praises a brilliantly staged sequence that moves between adjacent rooms, and singles out Dwayne Johnson’s performance. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/pain-gain-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 25 April 2013. Sharkey finds the film a mix of stupid fun and excess, with uneven results. She praises Dwayne Johnson’s comic performance but says the brutality can be tough to stomach. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-apr-25-la-et-pain-and-gain-20130426-story.html) ## Variety — Scott Foundas Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 22 April 2013. Foundas finds the film vulgar, often funny, and visually distinctive, but ultimately uneven and numbing. He praises Wahlberg’s performance while faulting the underdeveloped subtext and violence that drains the film’s energy. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/pain-gain-review-1200391657/) ## Little White Lies — Adam Nayman Rating 3/2/2. 29 August 2013. Nayman finds the satire shallow, obnoxious and poorly balanced by its moralising ending. He singles out Dwayne Johnson’s comic performance and a striking shot of Daniel brooding underwater as bright spots. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/pain-gain) ## Radio Times — Dave Aldridge Rating 2/5. The critic finds the caper hyperactive and tonally uneven. Bay’s mix of Three Stooges-style slapstick with much less pleasant material is singled out as a drawback. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-aquxdv/pain-gain/) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 April 2013. Rabin finds the film a loud, vulgar celebration of aggression that loses its satirical and social ambitions in mindless spectacle. He praises Dwayne Johnson’s performance for its sincere, poignant humanity, which contrasts with the film’s grating visual style. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/pain-gain-1798176583) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 22 April 2013. The critic finds the film ham-fisted and overlong, with little effective satire or cultural insight. He singles out the neighborhood-watch scene as one of its few genuinely amusing moments. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/pain-gain-film-review-443924/) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Rating 4/5. 26 August 2013. Pape finds the film highly entertaining and praises its energetic direction, though he notes that making light of real victims leaves an uncomfortable aftertaste. He singles out Dwayne Johnson’s performance and Bay’s inventive camerawork for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/pain-and-gain-review/) ## The Skinny — Chris Fyvie Rating ★★★★. 26 August 2013. The review finds the film a scabrous, entertaining satire, though it wonders whether Bay’s apparent self-awareness is genuine. It praises the cast and the film’s absurd, jet-black script. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/pain-gain) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 April 2013. The critic finds the film entertaining and funny, despite its overlong running time. The cast’s comic performances, especially Dwayne Johnson’s, are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/pain-gain-review-funny-bloated-three-stooges-massive-pecs-87806/) ## /Film — Germain Lussier Rating 6.5/10. 23 April 2013. The critic finds the film uneven but ultimately entertaining, with its wild second half making up for a shaky start. He singles out Dwayne Johnson’s complex, captivating performance for praise. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/525771/pain-and-gain-review-michael-bays-uneven-oddly-entertaining-tale-of-murder-and-muscles/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 2/5. 25 April 2013. The critic judges the film as visually appealing but dramatically misjudged and morally uneasy. He singles out Bay’s glossy, sunlit style as a superficial gloss on a grim true story. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/pain-gain-review/) ## Digital Spy — Ben Rawson-Jones Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 30 August 2013. The critic pans the film as overlong, execrable, and crassly written. They single out Ed Harris as its sole bright spot, while condemning its misogyny and crude stereotyping. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a510892/pain-gain-review-michael-bays-latest-is-all-pain-no-gain/) --- © 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/pain-and-gain.md