Monkeybone
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: February 23, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
40
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
11
Negative:
12
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
30
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Selick is widely and rightly regarded as a master of surreal, dark humor, and wildly inventive animation technique, and Monkeybone is the first tarnish on his otherwise spotless reputation. Read full review
25
Baltimore SunAthima Chansanchai
A raunchy, remorseless "Curious George."
25
Boston GlobeJay Carr
For all its antic grasping it lies flatter on the screen than its graphic novel source lies on the page.
40
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
The scenes set on earth--messy, predictable satire about the commercial exploitation of fevered genius. The unconscious/underworld scenes may be boring because neosurrealism is a cliche. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie never takes off; it's a bright idea the filmmakers were unable to breathe life into. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
Isn't much more creative than your average gross-out comedy.
30
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
Like a half-remembered dream, the movie's often so overwhelming that even its dull, dead moments (of which there are many, unfortunately) leave you wondering what you're missing and what you've just forgotten. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
There's unwieldy mess -- but there's also unruly brilliance to this dark and funny story about the havoc that ensues when a man's uncensored Freudian id is allowed the run of the place. Read full review
60
Film.comRobert Horton
Looks like a very cheerful and imaginative accident. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyHazel-Dawn Dumpert
Like so many movies that depend on effects for effect, plot comes in a poor second to spectacle. That leaves the Fraser, funny and sexy as hell, left with little chance to prove it. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Grand fantasy, in which Brendan Fraser and stylish design and energetic special effects play off one another for maximum fun. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
A shapeless, chaotic, overly frantic comedy that manages to make almost no sense, even if you're paying close attention. Read full review
42
Mr. ShowbizCody Clark
A movie interesting enough in its conception to appeal to adults winds up being best suited to preadolescent sensibilities. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
A shell of a romantic fantasy festooned with characters inspired by and resembling those in the bar scene in "Star Wars," the waiting room in "Beetlejuice" and the circus in "A Bug's Life." Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
An occasionally delightful mess of a movie.
38
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Feels like it's been homogenized and Hollywoodized to death. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
It's alternately mind-boggling and patience-testing, mixing astounding sequences of over-the-top invention with scenes of inept acting and indifferent filmmaking. Read full review
90
SalonCharles Taylor
A giddy madcap classic, one of the wildest and funniest American comedies in years. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Too grotesque for children and just too silly for their parents. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Selick proves a clumsy director of live-action scenes and never overcomes the muddled, half-baked script or the scatological gags. Read full review
70
The New York TimesDana Stevens
The movie is booby-trapped with so many loud gags that some of its sneakier humor is nearly lost in the din. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
A fairly serious psychodrama rendered in cartoon images. Read full review
63
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
Wildly uneven collage of effects and live action is no Disney-bland vision of dreams gone bonkers. There's enough Freudian material to reupholster a thousand therapy couches. Read full review
30
VarietyDennis Harvey
It's equal parts wacky, sappy and sniggery. Read full review
10
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
A self-adrenalizing, self-destructing pop-culture whirligig. Read full review
10
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Adds up to one numbingly unfunny comedy.
60
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Although Monkeybone will undoubtedly make you laugh at its slapstick highjinks, the irony is that for a movie that's ultimately about soul, that's the one commodity that's in precious short supply up on the screen. Read full review
30
Washington PostRita Kempley
The result is a script so needlessly complicated that it defies comprehension. Read full review
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