Baywatch
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: May 25, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
37
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 47 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
22
Negative:
22
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinMay 30, 2017
It’s the smart-ass nerd’s Baywatch. The movie is okay, though, if you don’t mind manic pacing and icky dick jokes. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottMay 24, 2017
Like its source material, Baywatch is sleazy and wholesome, silly and earnest, dumb as a box of sand and slyly self-aware. It’s soft-serve ice cream. Crinkle-cut fries. A hot car and a skin rash. Tacky and phony and nasty and also kind of fun. Read full review
50
Village VoiceCraig D. LindseyMay 31, 2017
Like the show, it’s about an insanely attractive lifeguard crew whose members really throw themselves into their work. But the product teeters between absurdity and earnestness. Read full review
50
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallMay 25, 2017
Baywatch is a running gag in slow motion, a thong-in-cheek TV retread swapping wholesome jiggles for dirty giggles. There are places for such humor but beaches don't have gutters. Read full review
50
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoMay 25, 2017
You’ll find laughs, zaniness and plenty of signature slow-motion jiggling, but it’s buried under a burdensome two-hour procedural. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiMay 24, 2017
For the most part, Baywatch resembles a scarce amount of its origin and relies on a none-too-arch humor that misses more than it hits. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMay 24, 2017
Baywatch should have been a lot more fun. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTom RussoMay 24, 2017
The result is a scattershot comedy that only intermittently nails either tone, finally just bogging down in flatly choreographed mayhem in the late going. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter TraversMay 24, 2017
No cliché is left unturned, and Gordon compensates with slick action. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyMay 24, 2017
Honestly, I’ve seen more narratively ambitious Mad Libs. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsStephen Whitty May 23, 2017
After a sharp, satiric opening, though, Baywatch slowly sinks. The scenery is pretty, including the actors, but Johnson and Efron are better at making fun of themselves than landing zingers. Read full review
50
USA TodayBrian TruittMay 23, 2017
This Baywatch has its share of hilarious moments but never fully commits to the absurd, and even the cleverest jokes get so many callbacks, they’re beating a dead seahorse. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineKeith WatsonMay 23, 2017
In terms of body objectification, Baywatch is an equal-opportunity exploiter, but when it comes to comedy, it's a total boys' club. Read full review
50
VarietyOwen GleibermanMay 23, 2017
The trouble is that the movie plays it boringly straight. Read full review
48
IGNGav MurphyJun 1, 2017
Baywatch wastes its attractive cast on tired jokes and nothing. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubSean O'NealMay 23, 2017
In spoofing something so forgettable, they’ve made something even less memorable. Read full review
42
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezMay 23, 2017
Its insistence on trying to balance wannabe sincerity and earnest actions with laughs is a tonally misconceived idea. Ultimately more forgettable then deplorable, Baywatch isn’t so much a disastrous spill in the ocean as it is disposable garbage making a mess. Read full review
40
The New YorkerAnthony LaneMay 30, 2017
Thank heaven for Dwayne Johnson, whose foot-wide smile will not be switched off, and who saves the life of the movie. Whether it deserves to be saved is another matter. Read full review
40
NPRBob MondelloMay 27, 2017
The plot doesn't quite sink Baywatch, but it sure slows it down. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMay 23, 2017
As with any movie of this sort, there are a few laughs. Johnson is as likable an actor as there is, and it’s to the actors’ credit that they buy in to the stupidity. But there aren’t enough laughs and not nearly enough story. Read full review
40
The TelegraphPatrick SmithMay 23, 2017
Everything about Baywatch the movie is big, brash and bombastic. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckMay 23, 2017
Johnson and Efron possess impressive muscles, but the performers have never done as much heavy lifting as they do here. And to their credit, they succeed to some degree. Read full review
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