---
title: "Tequila Sunrise: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/tequila-sunrise/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/tequila-sunrise"
critics_score: 52
critics_reviews: 7
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."
---

# Tequila Sunrise (1988): what the critics said

Critics' score 52 from 7 reviews: 1 positive, 4 mixed, 2 negative.

The reviews lean towards a mixed response to Tequila Sunrise, with praise clustering around the performances and polished style rather than the crime story. Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer are repeatedly credited with giving the film appeal, even by critics who find the plotting unconvincing. The romantic atmosphere also wins support: The New Yorker finds the film more persuasive as a glamorous romantic fantasy than as a crime melodrama.

Reservations centre on an insubstantial, sometimes muddled story, with drug dealings and police operations competing for attention with the characters. The spread is fairly wide: Radio Times finds an entertaining thriller about former schoolfriends on opposite sides of the law, despite some excessive wordiness. The Los Angeles Times is much less persuaded, admiring the performances and Conrad Hall’s cinematography but finding that the complicated plot overwhelms the people in it.

## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 1988. 

Kael finds the film flimsy as a crime melodrama but delectable as romantic fantasy. She especially praises the stars’ chemistry and the film’s glamorous, amorous atmosphere.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1988/12/26/love-hate)

## The New York Times — Janet Maslin

Fi1m's normalised score 63/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 1988. 

The page is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. Its URL identifies a review framed around cocaine and conflicting loyalties.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/02/movies/reviews-film-of-cocaine-and-a-clash-of-loyalties.html)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Rating 2.5/4. 17 June 1988. 

The review finds the film only moderately successful. It singles out the performances and the film’s polished style as strengths.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tequila-sunrise-1988)

## Radio Times — Tom Hutchinson

Rating 3/5. 

Hutchinson finds the thriller extremely entertaining, though Towne’s wordiness sometimes gets in the way. He singles out its engaging portrayal of former schoolfriends on opposite sides of the law.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-hny0qg/tequila-sunrise/)

## Time Out — NF

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review sees Towne as a stronger screenwriter than director, resulting in a mixed verdict. It praises his screenwriting talent but questions his directing skill.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/tequila-sunrise)

## Los Angeles Times — SHEILA BENSON

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 1988. 

Benson finds the film slick and ultimately insubstantial, despite its polished writing and performances. She praises the three stars’ work and Conrad Hall’s sumptuous cinematography, but says the complicated plot overwhelms the characters.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-12-02-ca-1059-story.html)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1987. 

The critic finds the film’s story insubstantial and muddled by drug dealings and police operations. They praise the appealing performances by Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell, and Michelle Pfeiffer.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/tequila-sunrise-1200427446/)

---
© 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/tequila-sunrise.md