Lucas
Twentieth Century Fox | Release Date: March 28, 1986 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Lucas is one of the year's best films, and although its three stars are all teenagers, I doubt if anyone of any age will give more sensitive and effective performances this year. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Lucas is as irresistible as its slight, brilliant, bespectacled 14-year-old hero (Corey Haim), a kid who in his spare time catches insects in a net--but only to study them, not to kill them. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Lucas manages to be touching, sad, thoughtful, funny, and joyous - it's a nearly-perfect portrait of the incredible highs and lows that accompany the high school journey of a square peg who doesn't fit into a round hole. Read full review
80
EmpireJo B
An uncliched teen movie that features terrific performances from a young cast. Read full review
80
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
More subdued and much more honest that any of John Hughes' egregious forays into adolescence, the film's only drawback is an artificially upbeat ending. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
Seltzer's characters are real; and Haim, Green, and Sheen play them wonderfully. As a result LUCAS is not just a film for teenagers but for anyone who has ever been a teenager. Read full review
70
The New York TimesWalter Goodman
No, it's not a daringly original plot and yes, it is sentimental, but Mr. Seltzer handles his small story as gently as Lucas handles the baby locust he finds in the road. Read full review
70
Washington PostPaul Attanasio
Lucas is about as likable as this kind of movie ever gets.At the heart of Lucas is an interesting idea -- a Woody Allen movie for kids, with a bespectacled, nerdy hero -- that never gets developed. Still, director David Seltzer has kept it low-key, sweet and personal -- it's like a nice "Afterschool Special." Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneRick Kogan
Having carefully and sensitively drawn an interesting character and put him in an interesting place, the filmmakers start painting with their fingers and ultimately provide a very familiar picture. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldBill Cosford
It's about a weird little kid, and it's an engaging mix. It is successful in recreating the frissons of adolescence and in slapping the myths around. The film also sports an ending that is pure tearjerker, but at least it earns the mush. [2 Apr 1986, p.D6]
60
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
Ultimately, this is the kind of film that gets more points for what it isn't—i.e., a typical teen comedy loaded with boob and fart jokes—than for what it is. Read full review
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