Slack Bay
Kino Lorber | Release Date: April 21, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New YorkerRichard BrodyApr 20, 2017
The range of tones and moods, like the range of situations, characters, and actors, is so wide, so recklessly self-contradicting, that it turns a tautly crafted local story into a comprehensive vision. Read full review
80
TheWrapSam FragosoApr 28, 2017
Unhinged and witty, Slack Bay is one of those rare movies that looks like it was fun to make, and is even more fun to watch. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawMay 21, 2016
Ma Loute is a fascinatingly made film, theatrically extravagant and precise, although perhaps a little over-extended. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsApr 21, 2017
Dumont's characters' motives are consequently hard to divine, despite convincingly twitchy performances from French actors Fabrice Luchini and Juliette Binoche. So while I do recommend Slack Bay, I must warn you: this is a misanthropic comedy that features cannibalism, weird religious overtones, and a lot of goony pratfalls. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineChuck BowenApr 20, 2017
Bruno Dumont's formalism is presently charged with a spark of simultaneously controlled and spontaneous mystery. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyApr 19, 2017
In Dumont’s version of agnostic mysticism, paradoxes have often stood in for miracles, but here, where the laws of physics follow Looney Tunes rules, the secular miracle is that Billie is more or less normal — the only character who isn’t a cartoon. Read full review
75
IndieWireEric KohnMay 21, 2016
Combining savage archetypes with spot-on wit, Slack Bay is a fun, peculiar romp with deeper conceits lurking beneath the surface. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenApr 27, 2017
Though the combination of social critique and unhinged laughs doesn’t always jell, the movie is quite gloriously a thing unto itself, even as it draws upon obvious inspirations. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennyApr 20, 2017
As it turns out, modes of farce and fantasy enable Mr. Dumont to pull the rug out from under the viewer in a number of new and upsetting ways. Be prepared. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyMay 21, 2016
More weirdly fascinating than genuinely good, this beautifully made, bracingly eccentric and often arch film will generate a measure of strong support but will bewilder more. Read full review
67
The PlaylistNikola GrozdanovicMay 21, 2016
From the performances to the repetitive jokes and bizarre actions that have little bearing on anything, Slack Bay exhausts you with its intense spirit. Read full review
60
EmpireDavid ParkinsonJun 12, 2017
With its bestial themes, conceptual humour and cartoonish thespians, this consciously arch farce will intrigue some and infuriate others. Read full review
60
Village VoiceAbbey BenderApr 20, 2017
Slack Bay is nothing if not anti-authoritarian, and while its anarchic energy is appealing in small doses, it becomes tiresome when it turns toward cruelty. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyMay 21, 2016
Slack Bay is half as long as Quinquin, but still feels too long. Major ensemble scenes (a family banquet, a service on the beach) dawdle indulgently, as if waiting for the joke to start. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisJun 14, 2017
The uneven, misanthropic French comedy Slack Bay, one of the weirdest period pieces in quite some time, is an odd combination of “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie,” Monty Python, and “Laurel and Hardy,” with some cannibalism, incest and gender identity issues thrown in. Read full review
50
The Film StageGiovanni Marchini CamiaMay 21, 2016
Disappointingly, the film feels like someone trying very hard to imitate Li’l Quinquin, pulling off but a pallid counterfeit. Read full review
50
Screen DailyJonathan RomneyMay 21, 2016
This knowingly excessive brew of cartoonish knockabout and macabre comedy horror just isn’t that funny. Read full review
50
VarietyPeter DebrugeMay 21, 2016
None of it seems to make much sense, though it’s clear that the absurdity is no accident. Read full review
40
CineVueJohn BleasdaleMay 21, 2016
Though the farce is occasionally funny, it's as bloated and windy as its comedy policeman Inspector Machin. Read full review
More From This Movie

66 Critic Reviews

6.6 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL