May
Lions Gate Films | Release Date: February 7, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
6
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie subtly darkens its tone until, when the horrifying ending arrives, we can see how we got there. There is a final shot that would get laughs in another kind of film, but May earns the right to it, and it works, and we understand it. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
McKee, like Amenabar, knows how to position his film against type -- which ultimately makes May a refreshing, macabre tale. Read full review
80
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
With a level of dark humor akin to the screenplays of Todd Solondz, and a visual style reminiscent of Dario Argento, May is one of the funniest, most disturbing, yet strangely touching movies of the year Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
A stylized work of unflinching control and discipline, reflecting an artistic maturity unusual in a first film. Read full review
80
Film ThreatTim Merrill
Call it a horror movie, a psychological thriller or a feminist splatterfest, but this sort of story is tough to get right. May gets it more than right. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyMark Olsen
The inventive and unpredictable May is exactly the kind of unexpected delight one hopes for every time the lights go down. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
May represents something rare and unfashionable-–a smart, twisted little slasher comedy that doesn't skimp on the gore. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Writer-director McKee’s arch comic dialogue (i.e., "We’ll hang out and eat some melons or something") is out of synch with the creepy horror he wields. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyScott Brown
Though ultimately too waterlogged with student-film self-seriousness to revel fully in its low-rent joie de cleaver -- nevertheless taps into a furious atavistic energy that reflects well on the filmmaker and his fully committed cast. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Satisfyingly, May also turns out to be lowdown genre fun, a film that nearly makes up in slacker wit and high-spirited gore what it lacks in budget and elegance. Read full review
60
Washington PostDesson Thomson
In visual terms, it's clear McKee has a talent for moviemaking...But he's going to need better stories than this. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
On paper, it sounds like the start of a good film. Too bad McKee made such a lackluster thing of it. Though the horror comes from an interesting place, it's frequently forced, negating much of the humor and pathos the film attempts to instill. Read full review
50
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Led by Ms. Bettis's discreetly campy May, the performances are a cut or two above what you would find in the average slasher film. But in the end that's all it is. Read full review
42
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
It wants to be a "Carrie" with a modern-day "Frankenstein" twist, but it lacks the smarts behind the weirdness. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The talented Bettis works her heart out, but McKee apparently directed her to play May as a quivering crazy from the start. Read full review
40
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
McKee's direction of actors is as clumsy as the stabs at rapid editing. Read full review
38
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Novice director Lucky McKee wrote the first draft of this labored horror flick while he was in school, and for a student film, it's not bad. But it's not ready for the big time. Read full review
20
Village VoiceDennis Lim
The flavor is textbook '90s indie -- self-regarding quirk with an occasional spasm of Solondzian incorrectness. Read full review
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