The Peanut Butter Falcon
Roadside Attractions | Release Date: August 9, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Arizona RepublicSamantha IncorvaiaAug 19, 2019
The film is a sweet, funny and heartfelt look at friendship and strength. Read full review
94
TheWrapYolanda MachadoAug 9, 2019
The Peanut Butter Falcon is charming, enveloping, and an absolute joy. Read full review
90
Film ThreatAlan NgAug 6, 2019
The Peanut Butter Falcon refuses to condescend to its star and tells a story that’s authentic to the life and experiences of adults with Down Syndrome. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerGary ThompsonSep 5, 2019
There is honest sentiment in the arc of this story, aided by the chemistry between Gottsagen and LaBeouf, and by the warm mood of the film. Read full review
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen RodrickAug 22, 2019
In the end, whether the performances are driven by real-life trauma or by acting doesn’t matter. Life might be imitating art or vice versa, who knows? One thing is certain: The Peanut Butter Falcon is a wonderful piece of art. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyAug 9, 2019
Cliches aside, there's something at work in The Peanut Butter Falcon, something eccentric and exuberant. Nilson and Schwartz's devotion to the details of Zac's world highlights Gottsagen's funny and intelligent performance, giving the film an authenticity it wouldn't otherwise have. Read full review
83
The PlaylistRyan OliverMar 13, 2019
By keeping the humor rooted in the performances and only letting sentimentality creep in when necessary, Nelson and Schwartz have crafted a film that feels refreshing, unique, and emotional. Read full review
80
CineVueZoe MargolisOct 24, 2019
It’s refreshing to see a character with Down Syndrome treated with depth and intelligence, in control of their own story and not being patronised. Gottsagen is truly a shining light, bringing a strong, wonderfully rich performance -and brilliant comic timing- as Zak to the film. Read full review
80
EmpireBeth WebbOct 14, 2019
This is LaBeouf at his best, stripped down to his bare elements and bookended by two luminous performances from Gottsagen and Johnson. A lightly flawed script may lack Huckleberry Finn epicness, but warms the heart with its parental tenderness. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshAug 8, 2019
LaBeouf brings the soul to The Peanut Butter Falcon, while Gottsagen brings the spirit. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperAug 22, 2019
Shia LaBeouf turns in one of the most sincere and effective performances of his career. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsAug 22, 2019
Gottsagen is not disabled. He has Down syndrome. He is also as able-bodied and innately appealing a screen performer as we’ve seen in 2019. Nilson and Schwartz made good on their promise to Gottsagen, and now he has returned the favor. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloAug 6, 2019
Gottsagen is too lively to be completely pinned down by feel-good clichés, and his unpredictability brings out the best in LaBeouf. As in most buddy pictures, so long as the chemistry works, all else is forgivable. Read full review
75
The Film StageJohn FinkMar 20, 2019
What it lacks in originality it makes up for in its empathetic charm. Sometimes that’s just enough. Read full review
75
ConsequenceRandall ColburnMar 13, 2019
While one wishes the beats were a touch more oiled, the film’s strengths reside outside the confines of narrative. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternAug 8, 2019
This lovely debut feature by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz trafficks in the pleasure of watching intriguing people working through outlandish problems in unlikely ways. Go in expecting the best and you’ll come out smiling. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennyAug 8, 2019
Gottsagen is a disarming performer who creates a sweet and funny character. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeMar 13, 2019
An odyssey audiences won’t soon forget. Read full review
70
We Got This CoveredLuke ParkerMar 13, 2019
[LaBeouf is] one of the few actors capable of turning this protector companion on the page into a layered role. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTom RussoAug 21, 2019
For all of its engaging performances, this thoughtful yarn from the filmmaking tandem of Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz is limited by a quaintly straightforward story line. Every choice the characters opt for, every bit of self-discovery they make, is as scripted as a rasslin’ baddie’s folding-chair cheap shot. Read full review
63
Washington PostTravis DeShongAug 13, 2019
The film’s on-the nose allusions to Twain ultimately contribute to a sense of derivation, undermining the originality of the material and preventing “Falcon” from graduating from good to great. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineDerek SmithAug 5, 2019
The film’s improvisational feel helps to ground a fable-esque narrative in a discernible reality. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 2, 2019
It’s a scruffy little movie that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny or over-thinking — at all. But its charm carries it a long way. Read full review
60
Rolling StoneDavid FearAug 9, 2019
Whether the climax, which veers close to magical realism and even closer to cloying, undoes the good will its built up will defend on the filmgoer. But for a long while, the tour these unlikely dreamers take you on is worth the trip. Samuel Clemens would have approved. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenMar 13, 2019
[Gottsagen's] sensibility infuses the modern-day fable with an engaging forthrightness. But the unequivocal material often sticks close to the surface, and the film built around him, for all its physical sweep, can feel constricted by obviousness. Read full review
58
IndieWireDavid EhrlichAug 8, 2019
Gottsagen is sympathetic without being pitiable, sweet without being saintly, and funny without making himself the butt of every joke. While the writing is often perfunctory, Gottsagen has a way of making every story beat feel sincere. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleAug 13, 2019
Fortunately, the movie gets a huge lift from Johnson, who reappears in the second half of the film and rescues it from nonstop boys’ hijinks. It’s not enough to say the camera loves her. Put Johnson in a close-up and the rest of the movie disappears. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAug 7, 2019
The Peanut Butter Falcon may lack depth and subtlety, but you can always feel the beat of its heart. Read full review
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