41
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayLos Angeles TimesNoel MurrayDanny McBride is at his funniest and scariest in Arizona, a darkly comic film noir that works well as both a violent thriller and as a ruthless satire of over-extended American dreamers.
- 58The PlaylistJordan RuimyThe PlaylistJordan RuimyThe potential of this movie’s premise might have been squandered by cliches, but McBride and DeWitt keep it watchable.
- 50The Film StageDan MeccaThe Film StageDan MeccaDespite its brief runtime, the film runs out of steam well before its climax.
- 50Village VoiceChris PackhamVillage VoiceChris PackhamDirector Jonathan Watson’s super-violent Arizona is a well-done but chilly and essentially unlovable black comedy with one tiny spark of warmth — Rosemarie DeWitt’s performance.
- 50ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliFirst-time director Jonathan Watson crafts a film that’s neither funny nor exciting, although it often seems to be straining to be one or the other. It’s a tonal mess and its inconsistencies make it a frustrating viewing experience.
- 40VarietyAmy NicholsonVarietyAmy NicholsonAs a debut film, Arizona shows that Watson could become a director with interesting ideas, but this housing crisis horror comedy is definitely just a rental.
- 38RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsRogerEbert.comSimon AbramsArizona might have worked better as a smart-ass social commentary if its tsk-tsking of consumerist myopia wasn't so consistently on the nose and its plot didn't swiftly devolve into slasher movie cliches.
- 35Film Journal InternationalAndré HerefordFilm Journal InternationalAndré Herefordthe film, set in 2009, misses its comic target by a mile, resulting in a dumbfounding collision of unsympathetic characters always choosing the most moronic thing to do in any given situation.
- 30The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyAs the movie wears on, one suspects that the writer Luke Del Tredici and the director Jonathan Watson aren’t crafting an indictment of toxic masculinity, but an invitation to take some sadistic enjoyment in it, without consequences.
- 30The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckSeverely wasting the talents of Rosemary DeWitt, who really, really deserves better material, Arizona is as arid and barren as the state that provides its title.