Catfish
Universal Pictures | Release Date: September 17, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
6
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin Wilson
Nev and the filmmakers prove to be charismatic, and at times hilarious, investigators of the unfolding mystery. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter Travers
There's more killer suspense and shocking intimacy in this one-of-a-kind documentary than you'll find in a dozen thrillers. You'll laugh hard and cry too. Read full review
88
USA TodayClaudia Puig
To avoid revealing too much and spoiling a fresh and intriguing experience, let's just say this: Catch Catfish. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
Catfish is absolutely riveting, and even nerve-wracking as Joost and the Schulmans get progressively closer to learning more about their "friends." Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
It is affecting, surprising, heartbreaking. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The facts in the film are slippery, but the revelation of a human personality is surprisingly moving. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Catfish is fascinating. At the same time, it emits a condescending, pitying odor. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
There are no "Crying Game" switcharoos or "Sixth Sense" plot twists in store here. But knowing too much about Catfish beforehand ruins the experience. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Dave McGinn
Catfish shows that the need to dispel lies isn't nearly as important as how we respond when we finally uncover the truth. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Catfish, made on the cheap with digital video, cell-phone cams, and hidden mikes, raises all sorts of questions - about the imaginary realms that open when you click on your computer screen, about cyber-stalking, but also about journalistic ethics. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Even in an increasingly virtual world, the filmmakers suggest, keeping it real still matters. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
To quote a source as authoritative as Francis Bacon -- namely a "New Yorker" cartoon: "On the internet no one knows you're a dog." Read full review
70
SlateDana Stevens
Of all the twists in Catfish-the most surprising of all is what an honest and thoughtful film it turns out, against all odds, to be. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderCliff Doerksen
There are some creepy chuckles to be had from this allegedly true account of a hip, young New York photographer. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
Although Catfish is opportunistic, even borderline exploitive, it gets at-by indirection, through the back door-the magic-carpet aspect of this scary new medium. Real people are so complicated and irreducible, you know? Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeFore
Jaw-dropping and surprisingly kind-hearted considering the circumstances. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter Debruge
Though editor Zac Stuart-Pontier assembles the sprawling personal journey into swift and suspenseful shape, it helps immensely that Nev is such a charming screen presence. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert Abele
Catfish was built to charm, not indict, and on that front it makes for a diverting seriocomic wade into the pitfalls of Internet-based immediacy, and by extension, the manipulative mysteries of documentary assemblage. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
One problem is that none of the characters are interesting and the situation is clichéd. Read full review
63
New York PostKyle Smith
I won't reveal the twist -- but the marketing crew is aware that their only chance of selling this non-mind-blowing documentary about the people you might meet on Facebook is by promising a big surprise. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
It seems to play as vastly different movies depending on who's looking at it. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazinePam Grady
This is a film of warmth, humor, suspense and surprising grace. Read full review
60
Village VoiceKarina Longworth
Whether you think Catfish is fact or fiction, it certainly taps into something true: the basic, common need to believe that what feels like love is real. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
When the going gets weird, Hunter S. Thompson used to say, the weird turn pro, but these filmmakers never transcend their own amateurism. They turn what could have been a brilliant exploration of the hidden corners of contemporary reality into an opportunity for gawking and condescension. Read full review
58
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
It must be said that the filmmakers, who profess to be as surprised as we are about how things play out, are being disingenuous at best and underhanded at worst. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
In Catfish, the camera's-rolling readiness to trawl for drama leaves a slimy aftertaste. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
The film is never less than absorbing to watch. However, in the end, I think Catfish lives up to its namesake's reputation as a bottom-feeder. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen Johnson
Unlike "Exit Through the Gift Shop," Catfish isn't able to make the leap from odd incident to an indictment of our times. Read full review
20
Time OutKeith Uhlich
I'll respect the studio's wishes to abbreviate all plot description. God knows, they're marketing it like the second coming of "The Crying Game," though the revelations that await Nev are only shocking if you believe P.T. Barnum was really in possession of a genuine Fiji mermaid. Read full review
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