The Mule
Warner Bros. | Release Date: December 14, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
15
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
EmpireChris Hewitt (1)Jan 28, 2019
So insubstantial it may not actually exist, The Mule is very much the latest in a long line of minor Clints. But it might help pass the time on long journeys. Just make sure you don’t watch and drive. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeJan 27, 2019
It’s perfectly watchable but a film with this puttering pace is never going to get the blood racing. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawJan 24, 2019
It’s a sentimental tale of hokum, carried by Eastwood’s star quality. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter DebrugeDec 12, 2018
There’s nothing inherently wrong with presenting bigoted people onscreen, since heaven knows they exist in real life, but the trouble with The Mule is that it invites audiences to laugh along with Earl’s ignorance. Read full review
58
ConsequenceBlake GobleDec 16, 2018
The Mule is a functional take on capitalism, work-life balance, and the creeping, overlong process that is aging. The tense moments click. Read full review
50
We Got This CoveredLuke ParkerDec 26, 2018
Poorly written and with hardly any thrills, The Mule disappointingly depends on the amiability of Eastwood’s character, whose extreme social ineptness is far beyond the redeeming powers of star power. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiDec 18, 2018
Eastwood plays it cool, thankfully. It’s the best film about drug trafficking that you can take your grandparents to. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireDec 14, 2018
All the pieces would seem to be in place—on paper at least—for a rich and gripping grown-up drama. So why does the result feel so elusive and unsatisfying? Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternDec 14, 2018
The Mule is based on a true story, and a good one, but it’s weakened by a mediocre script. Read full review
50
The New York TimesManohla DargisDec 13, 2018
The story shifts and lumbers toward redemption that Earl doesn’t earn and that sentimentalizes a movie that is never especially good and often teasingly offensive but also fitfully entertaining and willfully perverse. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzDec 13, 2018
A crusty screed against many facets of modern life – the internet, smartphones, insurance companies, pecans – but kinda ho-hum on the subject of drug violence, Clint Eastwood’s The Mule is one of the more confounding films of the year. Read full review
40
Total FilmJane CrowtherJan 21, 2019
An uncomfortable fit for the Time's Up era. Read full review
40
VoxAlissa WilkinsonDec 23, 2018
The Mule is a thinly characterized, clunkily realized showcase for its director, who may or may not be working out some personal issues on screen. Yes, there are some very funny moments, and Eastwood retains plenty of charm. But too often, the film feels slapped together, half-assed, and lacking some much-needed care. And nowhere is that more evident than in the way the characters themselves are written. Read full review
40
Time OutJoshua RothkopfDec 14, 2018
Glib, underdeveloped dreck. Read full review
40
The GuardianBenjamin LeeDec 12, 2018
As a drama, it’s frustratingly insubstantial, failing to provide enough of an emotional centre or a convincing payoff. Read full review
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