The Dirties
Phase 4 Films | Release Date: October 4, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
5
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisOct 3, 2013
Remarkable as much for its insights as for its audacity, The Dirties approaches school violence with a comic veneer that slowly shades into deep darkness. Read full review
91
IndieWireEric KohnOct 4, 2013
The story transitions from a believable portrait of young culture junkies into a showcase of Matt's burgeoning rage so well that it practically implicates viewers in the process. Read full review
90
ScreenCrushJordan HoffmanJan 31, 2016
Engaging this movie is like jumping into the deep end of a cold pool. You just do it and yell for a second, but once you are in you'll want to swim around. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesInkoo KangOct 3, 2013
A masterful blend of black humor and queasy dread. Read full review
83
HitfixDrew McWeenyJan 31, 2016
The Dirties feels authentic all the way through, and it carries a bitter punch. It is a slight movie in terms of actual events that happen, but it grapples with some giant ideas and emotions in a very effective way. Read full review
80
The GuardianMike McCahillJan 31, 2016
It may wind up as the year's most significant horror film; it's certainly among the most original. Read full review
80
Village VoiceZachary WigonOct 1, 2013
Matthew Johnson's The Dirties explores high school violence from a refreshingly original angle. Read full review
60
Total FilmKevin HarleyJan 31, 2016
As Johnson enters Columbine-style turf, a clearer slant on our modern mindset is required than the one he offers. Read full review
60
EmpireAndrew OsmondJun 2, 2014
Like Chronicle, it's a fresh spin on the high-school flick. Unlike Chronicle, its execution never quite matches its ideas. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckOct 7, 2013
The Dirties is as provocative as it is sloppily messy in its themes. Read full review
50
The DissolveNoel MurrayOct 1, 2013
Ultimately, all the metafictions and social commentary are too vague to have any meaning, beyond giving Johnson a foundational justification for this movie. But while The Dirties is in some ways appalling, it’s also effective. Read full review
42
The PlaylistDrew TaylorOct 3, 2013
The message, like the filmmaking, seems fuzzy and unfocused. Read full review
20
VarietyPeter DebrugeOct 25, 2013
This sloppy, button-pushing black comedy reveals a crew desperately in need of counseling — less in anger management than in the fundamentals of screenwriting, camerawork and structure. Read full review
20
Time OutJoshua RothkopfOct 1, 2013
Technically cruddy and tiresome in its we’ve-seen-a-lot-of-movies dialogue. Read full review
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